jdlovesgod1750's Revelife

Wait Training

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:57:33 GMT

       Last week I went on a trip to the boundary waters in northeastern Minnesota. It was absolutely amazing.
There was one lake that was huge compared to the rest and it was extremely windy. The waves were so big on the lake that we didn't dare try to cross it in our canoes. So we waited for the wind to stop.
       We all just wanted to keep going, we still had a lot of energy left and we didn't want to stop now, in the height of our success. But we couldn't risk flipping over our canoes in the high waves. So we waited and waited.
         After Jesus ascended into Heaven they obeyed God's command to go and wait in the upper room for what He was going to do next. Can you imagine that? Ken Hutcherson puts it this way, "after all the promises, after all the miracles, after all the great, amazing events, God was telling them to get together in a room and wait patiently for what He was going to do next!"

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, ^(A)is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which ^(B)the Father has fixed by His own authority;

⁸but you will receive power ^(C)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be ^(D)My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and ^(E)Samaria, and even to ^(F)the remotest part of the earth."

Act 1:6-8 NIV

The people gathered in the upper room were impatient and they wanted action done NOW (vs.6). But then, God set them straight (vs.7-8). He wanted them to wait for His timing.

Many times in our lives we keep saying, "Lord can't you just do this now, why do I have to wait." We want the answers, the miracles, the signs, the knowledge, the resources, we want it all NOW! We forget that we need to wait for God's best.

            Finally, around 2 a.m., the lake was safe to cross. At first it was kind of creepy when you looked straight ahead into the unknown land covered in darkness. But then I looked up to the sky. It was filled with millions of beautiful stars. There were so many falling stars that night, it was absolutely amazing. Then dawn came and we saw the amazing sunrise that God had been saving for us to see.
          Because we waited for the right time I will forever treasure the memory of crossing a motionless lake with the beautiful stars of Heaven above.

in His grasp,
          JD

To Love or to Judge?

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:31:00 GMT

What do you think about prostitutes? Would you hang out with them? What about a man with a deadly disease that you could easily catch if he simply breathed on you? Would you stop and take the time to talk to a poor man begging for money on the side of the street? Would you take the time to get to know the outsider at school and become friends with him?

Personally I'm not so sure that I would have the guts to do these things. But I remind myself that Jesus did all these things. Jesus turned the world upside down in the way that He acted, in what He said, and how He went about doing ministry.

This year I went to the Sonshine music festival in Wilmar, MN. It's all Christian music there. But if you had to figure out the kind of music they played by the people that were listening you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this festival and a secular one. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these people and the people that roam around a high school.

The world has all these clique names for people. If you were to judge the people like that at the festival you would find emos, preps, goths, stoners, goodie goodies, geeks, nerds, and the list goes on and on. My point is that you couldn't tell just by looking at people's outward appearance that any of them were Christian. I'm not saying people didn't act like Christians but that if you were to take a picture you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a person at Sonshine and a person at a regular high school. But the cool thing is, is that most all the people at Sonshine were Christians.

Many times when we witness to others we decide who we're going to talk to by the people they hang out with, by the clothes they wear, and by how people say they act. We judge people. We say, "this person could never believe in Jesus."

Paul was a murderer, Moses was a murderer, David was just a boy, Matthew was a tax collector, Simon was just a fisherman, and Jesus was homeless. If people in their times were to judge them, the stories in the Bible would of been totally different.

We need to accept everyone. No matter who they are and no matter what they've done, God loves them just the same. We need to do the same.

This week I want each of you to do two things:

I want you to stop yourself when you judge others. Become aware of when and who you judge. Then act on it. Ask God to help you stop judging others. Ask for open mindedness when it comes to the people around you.
Witness to someone who is "out there". Someone who you usually wouldn't want to talk to about Jesus. Ask God for guidance when you choose this person. Then ask for God to give you the right words to say, and He will.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. - Luke 6:37

Have a good week everybody.

in His grasp,
JD

Where are we supposed to spend our lives?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:25:13 GMT

Hi everybody,
I haven't written anything in a long time so I thought I better get busy! Just last weekend I went to United Teens Encounter Christ. Better known as TEC. I have to say, that was one of the best weekends of my entire life. We spent 3 days encountering Christ in a way that most people would overlook. I can't exactly tell you what we do there because everything we do there is kept a secret. But there is one thing I can tell you.....
    I wasn't quite sure what more there was to learn about Jesus, but I knew God had something in it for me. When I was there I felt so loved and totally comfortable about everything around me. This place was true paradise. Obviously it didn't have palm trees and a sandy beach next to the Carrabin sea, but I think this paradise had much more joy and meaning in it.
    So this whole entire weekend I, and everyone else there, was in paradise. But eventually we had to go home, away from this perfect place. And I began to ask myself, why doesn’t God just let us stay here? We were praising Him all weekend and learning and experiencing so much that would forever positively impact our relationship with Jesus. So why doesn’t God just let us stay here, away from all the troubles of the world?
    Did Jesus spend all His time on earth with the best people, or at the best places you could be? No, He didn't. He spent time with people that no one would expect the Son of God to even care about, and visited the places that were forgotten by the world.
    Many people ask, why does God allow so much suffering in the world? Well, first of all, we created all the suffering and pain, not Him. But more importantly, God teaches us the greatest lessons of life through great suffering and pain. Every single time we fall and then get back up, we get stronger, less able to fall. In the same way, we learn so much from the things that we hate.
    So I believe the reason God doesn’t allow us to live in places of great joy all the time is simply because we are not meant to spend our lives there. In order for us to learn the great lesson of life we need to experience pain and suffering. And remember Jesus told us to show our love for others by helping them. Well, if we live in a perfect world, who would need help? We then would have no appreciation for what we have, and eventually have no need for Jesus (we always will need Him, but we would just cease to agknowlege it).
    When I was at TEC I was on top of a mountain. But I have come to realize that we are not called by God to stay on the mountain top, but to take the light we find their and bring it down into the darkness of the valley below it. We are called by God to spread His love we found on the mountain top through the people of this lost world were living in today.

                                              in His grasp,
                                                       JD Mechelke

P.S. TEC is truly a one in a lifetime experience. I encourage you to go to one of their weekends. Check out their website at http://mn-utec.com/default.aspx

The Ultimate Purpose

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:42:37 GMT

Purpose: The reason something is done or created.

    My favorite class in school is Theater. I love it in that class. The whole reason I take it is because I am terrified of people and well, when I'm acting, I don't have to be. Theater is my escape from all the people around me that I am terrified of. Obviously theater is a hugely positive part of my day. It helps me in many ways. And yet everyday Theater ends at 9:50. If this is such a great part of my day, why wouldn't God make it longer or just have me be there all the time? I know it sounds like a really pointless question but let me change the situation around a little bit.
   Let’s say you’re having the best time ever with your friends. You guys are just roaming around town, laughing your butts off, and just taking time to be friends. Eventually, that night is going to end. Why wouldn't God make it longer? If this time is really giving you a good break from reality and at the same time your strengthening your relationship with your friends. Now why would God want to end that? Eventually those friends would quickly become your worst enemies. You guys would start getting tired and crabby and very annoyed with each other too.
    Very few thing change peoples lives entirely. But just in the course of the last few months, something I experienced has done just that. Now God has ended that experience. Why would God do that? If that experience has helped me to succeed in many things that I never have before, why would God let the experience discontinue?
    Truthfully, I don't know why. But I trust what He does. He is God you know. He can see the thoughts of everyone in the entire world. He knows the names of the crying, the angered, the starved, and the restless. We don't. He has the big picture that our minds don't. So I say to you today, I am one those that is crying, one of those that is angered, and starved for that experience that changed my life. I am restless for the Ultimate Purpose of it all. But as I spend hours in silent thought, I remind myself of what He once told us, "Everything I do, I do because I love you.
    Even though I am not part of something I once was, I am thankful for at least having the memory of when we were all together.

Until next time,

                                          in His grasp,
                                                JD Mechelke

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:05:33 GMT

Hello! Call me JD. I hope you guys like my blogs and please give me comments and feedback too. So, heres my site. I hope you like it.

in His grasp,
JD

Well It's the End of Summer

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:24:00 GMT

      Hello,
        The fist weekend of every summer my family would always go camping at the Lake Elmo Park Reserve with other friends and family. Its always a blast. A ton of people come with us each year. We truly live out the phrase "The More the Marrier," when were camping that first weekend of summer.
     Its usually at the very end of that campout that it hits me that school is done, and I have 3 months of nothing but summer, summer, and more summer. And well at the end of the campout, as it always does, it hit me that school is out!
    At the end of the summer it usually hits me the night before school starts. Thats always, always when it hits me. Well, not this year. The Sunday before Labor Day (I start school the day after Labor Day) my pastor gave the childrens message about endings. And as I'm listening to my pastor talk about different ends of stuff it hits me that summer is over. And I tell ya, when it hit me I wasn't too happy. I got in a really grumby mood really fast. But I got over it quick.
    But well, my parents never showed up for church so I ended up walking home. Its a good 45 minute walk home but I didn't really mind. Durring that walk of mine I took the whole time to really think about all that I did those past 3 months. I thought about every single thing that I did, and well, I realized that I had done a ton of stuff. I walked on the beautiful shore of Lake Superior, I spent time with my family in a place not like our home, I lead 30 boys camping for a week, I showed people how to make their visions come true, I showed people 40 years older than me how to camp, I saw the famous Oshgosh Plane Show, I got to see the people that I love again, I went to the beautiful shores of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, I helped to build a house for a person in need, I learned that if I just be myself I can inspire others in ways I never even imagined possible, and I made friendships that will last forever. And well, after I realized that my summer had came out so well I reminded myself of all the things that came out of all that stuff that I did.
    My mind spent the most time on the mission trip I went on to Bay St. Louis Mississippi. And I realized how much God did through that one week. People got closer to living in a house instead of tin box in the back yard. Many people came a lot closer to God, including myslef. One person even got saved. I learned that I can actually make a difference, people made frienships that will last for a lifetime, and a ton more happend that week in the lives of many people. And I thought if God did that much in one week, I wonder what He did in my life in 3 months.
    But I really do feel that this summer has truly become the best of life. And there are many reasons that this summer has become so meaningful, but I just have to thank my friends from my mission trip. Cody, Bri, Billy, Kevin, Shelby, Lindsay, Pastor John, Jordan, and the list goes on and on. But truly from the bottom of my heart and the root of my faith I say to everyone who I spent time with this summer, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
But at the end of my walk I convinced myslef not to be sad about the end of the summer. But just to be thankful that it went the way it did. But even though summer itself is over well it really dosn't have to be. What makes summer the way it is? Its the experiences and the fun and the friendship that really makes summer the highlight of most peoples years. So really it is our choice if summer is done or not. Because the experiences don't have to end, the fun dosn't have to end, and hopefully your friendships don't have to end either. It is really our choice weather those joys in our lives continue throught the rest of the year. Have you ever heard the saying ,"when one door closes another door opens,"? In the same way when something ends something else begins.
    So yes, summer has come to an end. But a new year in school is starting. Sports are starting again. People are starting their busy schedules again. But most of all we are starting the begining of an oprotunity to keep living out the joys we find in summer. I love ya'll and hope to see everyone very soon.

Until next time,
                                                 in His grasp,
                                                         JD, J nizzle dip, Deege, DJ, Joe, or BLT

P.S. I still don't want to go to school tomorrow.

Why am I Having the Time of My Life ?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:04:00 GMT

Dearest Reader,

           Imagine a place where you wouldn't be affraid to express yourself in front of others. A place where no one lied and was jelous of you. Imagine a place that was free of murder, hatred, and adultury. Imagine a place that had streets paved of gold. Imagine a place where EVERYONE is happy.
    This place I describe, is Heaven. When we die we will be presented to an angel. But this angel isn't just any angel, this angel holds "The Book of Life." And when you are presented in front of this angel, the angel looks in the book for your name. If your name is not in "The Book of Life" you do not enter into Heaven. You are thrown into the firery depths of Hell. A place that has no escape of hatred and sorrow. A place which has NO happiness. No friendship or love or peace. Your soul will be tormented by the devil forever.
    Who decides upon the names that are in The Book of Life? God does. Only the people that have always obeyed his laws entierly are given a spot in The Book of Life. But it says in the Holy Book (Bible) that "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 We all have disobeyd God's laws. "for the wages of sin is death," Romans 5:23 The punishment of disobeying God's laws is an eternity in Hell. We all deserve to go to Hell. I deserve to go to Hell, as well as everyone else. Don't thnk so? Well, have you ever lied before? Then you are a liar. Have you ever been jelous of someone else?   Have yo ever looked at a girl or a guy and thought of you and them together commiting adulterous acts ? Then you are an adulerer at heart. Have you ever commited adultery ? Than you are an adulterer. Have you ever stolen something ? Weather it be a french fry from your friends plate or a snickers bar from the gas station? Then you are a theif.
     Ask youself those questions truthfully. Do you think liars, adulerours, and theifs should go into Heaven? I don't think so. We all deserve to go to Hell. But God has provied something for us. God sent His son Jesus. Jesus lived a life totally free of sin. But he died a most painful death and then descended into Hell. He did not deserve to go to Hell. He went their to save our souls. OUR souls. You.....me. Then three days latter Jesus came back to life. He had defeated the devil! And because Jesus did that God can offer the gift of eternal life in Heaven as grace. Grace is a gift that is totally free and cannot be accepted because you belive you deserve it. Except the gift that God gave to us. But once you are saved remember that it is not because of what you have done right but it is because of what Jesus did for you.
   If you don't belive what I have to say, well, listen to what I have to say next..My belief in Jesus has changed my life entierly. I am having the best time of my life. I have never felt this happy before. I want you to experience the same joy that I have. But what if your wrong? You might ask me. But what if I'm right?

until next time,
                                                            in His grasp,
                                                                   JD Mechelke

P.S.Talk to me if you have any questions or comments.

Intimidation

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:44:00 GMT

Hello,
   hope everyone has been doing well latley and I hope you had a fun and meaninful summer. I had many meaningful experiences myself this summer. The mission trip I went on was probly the most meaningful thing that I experienced this summer.
    I remember Sunday night they wanted us to go to the 6:00 service. I was at the beach that afternoon and I ended up comming in late to the service. I scanned the sanctuary for an open spot. The only one I saw was in the very back next to these 2 boys that were from the mission tirp as well. I did not know these guys but at the moment I wasn't so sure that I wanted too. I was really intimidated by them. Almost scarred of the taller of the two. Once the service was over I got my butt out of there affraid that they might say something to me.
      That night I was talking with a couple of adults from my church and then once they went to bed I decided to stop into the sanctuary before I did that myself. It was about 10:00 when I walked inside. The only people in there were Pastor John in the corner shuffling some papers and a few people at a table playing UNO. Bri was at the table. She was from my church, didn't know her too well but I thought I would go over there and talk to her. But then I stopped myself for a second. I noticed the other 2 people at the table were those 2 boys that I was greatly intimidated by. But Bri sounded like she was having fun so I decided to at least go over there and at least say hi.
   I got over there and I was speachless, not knowing what or when to simply say hi to Bri. But then the one boy that I was almost scarred of turned and said out loud to me, "so what does she have for cards?" I forget what I said after that but I just remember that once he said that too me I felt a lot more comfortable around them, but still intimidated.
   But eventually I sat down and started to play cards with them. By the end of the night I had gotten over my intimidation of them . I then learned their names: Billy, and the most intimidateing one, Cody. But I thought that they would most likely ignore me for the rest of the week. I was wrong

_____________________________________________________________

The next day I found out that I was going to working on the same team as Billy and Cody. Not quite sure what to think. But I have to tell you it was a blast, it turned out to be one of the best days out of the week. Those guys were really fun to be around, and they thought the same about me.
    The next day Billy and Cody got switched to work on a different house. That was the worst day out of the week. It was really no fun at all, and we didn't get much work done either. And when I got back to the church that night one of the girls that switched teams with Billy and Cody told me that they were just depressed all day. "Why is that," I asked her. Then she told me it was because I was not there.
   I was not sure what to think at that moment. One day I was scarred of them, the next they were depressed cause they couldn't be on my team. Interesting. But lets just say there were some strings that got pulled that night and well .... we got on the same team again.

______________________________________________________________

By the end of the week Me, Bri, Billy, and Cody became great friends. That experience with friendship tought me that when I am myself I shouldn't have to be intimidated by anybody. It was because that I was acting like myself that they wanted to be friends with me. But know that I have not seen them for 2 weeks I am now becoming intimidated by them again. I'm not sure why, but I just am thankful that I have that experience to remind me not be intimidated by what is unkown.

Until next time,
                                             in His grasp,
                                                     JD Mechelke

Friendship

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:36:00 GMT

Hay everyone,
      I have just gotten back from my short term mission trip to Bay St. Louis. It was truly an eye opening experience. I learned to do so much while I was there. I learned how to mud and sand sheetrock. I learned what tools you need to put waffer board under a house on stilts. I learned that by just being myself I can inspire others. I learned what the Bible says about serving. And I learned how important friends are to our lives.
     I never have had really close friends before. I remember when I was about 4 I had a really good friend named Ben. But besides that I never have really had a best friend if you want to call it that.
   Throught my week in Bay St. Louis I was a part of what I would jokingly call a "clan." In this clan was Me, Bri, Cody, Billy, and Kevin. We all were close friends while we were down there. For me it was a feeling of something I never really felt before. I never really belonged to one group of people before. I belonged to like a sliver of a lot of groups, but I never really belonged to any group.
     So it was a new experience for me to "Belong" you might say. I really feel that those people were true blessings from God, to me and everyone else in the group. I sound so prechy right know it is not even funny. Ha Ha. I guess what I am trying to say is, that well, I felt as if I was being loved. And God tells us to love our friends. So I don't find it akward at all to say that I felt loved by my friends.
    John 15:12-17 tells us "12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other." So God dosn't just tell us to make friends, He commands us to do it. So if God specifically says that He commands you to Love one another, or make friends as you might want to say, it must really be important if God gives friendship such high authority in our life.
     I think God does this because friends are sometimes the only reasons that we continualy decide to live through each day. Many times our frineds show us who we are. They are basically our personal Jesus. Obviously our friends are not God, they sin just like everyone else. But I call them a personal Jesus not because they are like Jesus but because they are given by Jesus.
      If it wasn't for my friends, well, I would not be a Christian. If God considers friendship a big thing in a someone's life, then ..... shouldn't it be ?
      Don't take friendship for granted. Make it a higher priority in your day to day life. Don't let friendship become something like a backyard garden. Which we plan to tend to but wait until it's too late. Until next time.

                              in His grasp,
                                      JD Mechelke

Some Things Are Plain and Simply Amazing

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:46:00 GMT

Amazing: inspiring awe or admiration or wonder.

Amazing. Such a simple word to say. But its meaning is not simple at all. The dictionary definition makes the word seem so unimportant and so dry when it only describes it with 3 words. Should you use it to describe things or use it to describe actions. I think it can be used to describe anything you want. I bet you can, just try it. The fact that gas prices are finally getting lower is simply amazing. The fact that today is the 4th of July is just so amazing (I don't care about what the holiday means just the fact that it symbolizes that a month of summer is already gone). It's amazing that I can keep going day after day because of the things I've been through. That I can wake up in the morning and come to the realization that if God kept me alive through the night He must still need me, is simply amazing.
It's amazing that Al Cida hasn't destroyed America yet. It is amazing that some people are dying even as I sit here and think up of what I should say to the world. And it is amazing that right know, babys are being born. It's amazing that the person down the road can make the payment on her house without going bankrupt. It's amazing that a starving child in Africa gets a healthy meal to eat all by herself right now. It's amazing that us, yes us, are the leaders of tommorow. And it's amazing how something so small can make a big difference. And just remember now that man-made fireworks dim next to the glory of God in Christ.
     The glory of the Lord will be revealed.                 Isaiah 40:5

until next time,

                                       in His grasp,
                                                JD Mechelke