THE GIFT'S NOT MINE!

Hello Everyone! Wanted to update you on what has been going on here the past month!

Life has been amazing! God is teaching me so much and stretching me in so many areas. I haven't traveled anywhere since the last post so there may not be some cool pictures but I do want to tell you some of the things God has been showing me!

You all know the job at Waroeng I got when I first arrived!  The owners were so great but unfortunately the past five weeks I have not been able to work because business has been slow. At first I panicked. It is not cheap to live here and I started to worry about how I was going to pay rent and my other bills. It was hard not to have my mind be consumed with all this, but one day I read in God's Word to be thankful in ALL circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This hit me really hard. I started to see that I was focusing on my problems way more than focusing on how good God was no matter what situation I was in. So from that day on, I started to change my thinking. Whenever I would start to freak out, I would first thank God for the situation and then thank Him for the good He will bring out of this! Let me tell you, this has been such an amazing transformation for me! It has been a process (and will continue to be a process) but I now have this weight lifted off my shoulders because I know that Jesus will take care of me! He says it in His Word and I know that I can stand firm on that! Here are some key verses that I would (and still) think of when the worries of life start to come in my head.

1 Peter 5:6-10
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's MIGHTY hand, that He may LIFT you up in due time. Cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He CARES for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing FIRM in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself RESTORE you and make you STRONG, FIRM, and STEADFAST. 


Lamentations 3:22-26
Because of the Lord's GREAT LOVE we are not consumed, for His compassions NEVER fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will WAIT for Him." The Lord is GOOD to those whose HOPE is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.


There are so many other verses but I just wanted you to see that Jesus is here to help us and that whatever situation we may be in, we can know that it is going to make us stronger, firm, and steadfast! The enemy is so good at putting worries and lies in our head! If we just take the time to start putting the TRUTH of God's Word in there instead, it changes everything. I love the authority Jesus gives us over the devil!

Another thing that God has been teaching me is putting my identity in Him rather than my talent. This has been a fun one :) So the past month and a half my throat has been sore and painful. It has been hard to sing and I could not figure out why. I started to ask God, "why won't you take this away?" This was the same time my job situation was happening. So I decided to start thanking God! It was painful but I knew He was going to heal it and take care of me! So about two weeks ago I started to think, "oh no what if I can't sing when I get back home?!" And right when I was thinking that I felt God tell me that I put my talent over Him. This was huge because I was blinded to where my priorities were.  Just a couple days later one of the Pastors here at Hillsong spoke about the danger of putting your identity in your gift or talent rather than Christ.  I'm pretty sure God was trying to tell me something :)  After hearing that I reflected and started to realize that I cared a lot about how I sounded. "Am I good enough? Do people think I sound good?" I found myself really wanting to change my thought process  about where I put my identity.  Now, I have come to realize in my heart and mind that I want to be comfortable with the fact that if I had lost my voice and could never sing again, that I would be ok and would keep praising God!

"The gift you have received from heaven says nothing about you but has everything to do with the generosity of the Father"
- Chris Mendez

Some of my identity verses that I am using to help with this process are:

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus. So we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 


Ephesians 1:3
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 


As you can see, God has been changing my world and I am loving every second of it! Each day I fall more in love with Him and want to serve His kingdom in any way I can.

Prayer Request:
I am thankful for the blessings that have happened recently and I know God will still come through! I am still trying to find a job but have not found one yet. Please pray that Waroeng picks up business or another opportunity opens up!

Thank you so much for your prayers! I'm truly thankful for each and every one of you!

LOVING TO WORSHIP

HELLO!! I hope everyone is doing well! I wanted to update all of you on some of the things that have been going on these past couple of weeks. Life has been great! I have been learning a lot about leadership and have enjoyed being poured into constantly from the teachers at the school. I have been falling in love with worship more and more. My eyes are being opened more each day on why we should be constantly worshiping God. Not just with music but with our lives. Jesus's personality is one of many reasons why we should praise God!

Psalm 145:8
"The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love."

I absolutely love that verse! Jesus is so patient with us and is always pouring out His love even when we don't deserve it. Also, sometimes I can catch myself starting to worry about certain things and or to feel overwhelmed with stuff going on but this next verse has really helped me as well!

Psalm 146:8
"The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down."

So whatever situation you my be in, know that God is there to lift you up! I always have to remind myself to be thankful in ALL circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)! God will bring good out of any situation and I have been really seeing that here! He uses hard situations here to mold me into the man He wants me to be. One of my teachers here told us that we should constantly be changing. That we need to take responsibility for our life and stop blaming others or our past about the things we may do. We need to be disciplined and start working towards becoming like Jesus. God will help us along the way but we have to make the choice to do so. There is something we can change each day to be more like Christ!

About two weeks ago I was able to go to the Zoo in Sydney and to the Blue Mountains! It was so much fun! Below are the pictures from those days!

The ferry takes you straight to the zoo. So this is what you get to pass while riding it! So cool!

The views from the zoo where amazing!

This picture just cracked me up! Poor guy wants go be in the city!

Blue Mountains!! God is so amazing!

There were beautiful waterfalls everywhere!

This is on top of the first waterfall that I showed above!

These rock formations are called 'The Three Sisters'

Prayer Requests:

Waroeng Coffee needs prayer that business comes for them! I believe it will and that God will be glorified in it!

LIFE HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD!

Hey everyone! Ok now I am really sorry for slacking off on my blog! I am excited to update you on some things that have been going on here in the great country of Australia. Life has been going so good these past couple of weeks. I am learning a ton from my devotional times with Jesus and from all the teachers at Hillsong. Lately, I have been so hungry for the Word of God! I want to consume my mind with Scripture constantly.  I was reading through Psalm 119 the other day and it was exactly how I was feeling.

Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. 

Psalm 119:20

I am always overwhelmed with a desire for your regulations.

I want to be constantly asking God to open my eyes to His awesome truths when I read His Word and I always want to have a huge desire to learn. 

  A couple of weeks ago we had Colour Conference and it was awesome! I was on the Refresh Team (AKA: cleaning toilets, emptying bins, and vacuuming team). Now, this probably wasn't the most fun job to do (haha) but I ended up loving it! God really taught me some great things through it. One of the things I learned was the "strength of the Lord". Ok, I know we have all heard this  billions of times but this really clicked for me those two weeks. It was a lot of work and I was tired but on the second day someone said, "use the strength of the Lord." I remember thinking to myself, "God I really want to see your strength in me these next two weeks." It was awesome! I had energy that only could of come from God those two weeks! God is so good!

Below is a picture from the last part of the conference! Pretty cool stuff!

So this next picture are the seats in their movie theaters! Are these not crazy nice or what!? So much room and relaxation! haha

Last monday night my tutorial group had our first performance night! It went great! I was so proud of everyone and we all had a blast!

This is a spot I sometimes go to, to spend time with Jesus. So calming :)

AND of course! HAPPY EASTER! I drew this at my work Waroeng! haha

Prayer Request:

So the past 4 weeks I have been having the crazy stomach issues. Every time I would eat it would hurt like crazy. I went to the doctor and he said it could be acid build up or ulcers. He put me on this medicine that is kind of helping but slowly. So I just need prayer that this goes away so I can eat normal food! I want easter eggs :)

Also, if you could be praying for the place I work at. It has been getting slow and we need for that place to get business! I believe God is going to show up through this and bless the owners like crazy!

I love you all!

STAYING BUSY!

Hello everyone! I am so sorry it has been so long since I last blogged! The pace here has definitely picked up and I feel like I am always doing something! :) (which is a good thing)

Classes have been great and I am learning all sorts of things from them. The teachers are full of wisdom and love pouring into students. I am being challenged in so many ways. I am being challenged not just  vocally but more important spiritually. In a lot of my classes we will have a time to pray for each other  which has been amazing! Also, Chapels here are pretty mind blowing as well!

Ok, so just in case anyone wanted to know... I PASSED COFFE SCHOOL! haha Last weekend my co-worker and I attended Toby's Estates Coffee School (which our bosses paid for)! We learned about the coffee bean and where it can be found and how it is made! We also learned how to make coffee! Now, I got to say it is a lot harder than I thought! The first time I heated the milk it started out all fine but as it got hotter it started to splatter EVERYWHERE! Big fail moment for me but definitely funny! It was a lot of fun and now I can make a cup of Joe for anyone who wants one :)

Also, I want to thank everyone who was praying for the 'Live Music at Waroeng Coffee'! It went great!! We had a great turn out for our first time! It was so good for the business and I am excited to see it just get better from here! We plan to have 'Live Music' at least once a month!

                                     


Next week we have Colour Conference! This is a huge womens conference Hillsong puts on each year. It is very exciting because we get to serve at it and help make sure it runs smoothly. Pray that there are life changes and that women leave stronger and more confident in Christ.

Something that I have loved the most about being here is my quiet times with Jesus! They have been so amazing and I am learning so much. I am learning that it is not about me at all and it is all about Jesus and getting people to know Him! Here are some scriptures that have encouraged me and I hope can encourage you:

Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

John 10:4 "After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice"

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."


Here are some fun pictures for yall!



Oh don't worry about it, the koala North worship team gave me can make coffee too! :)

And this may be weird for some people, but the ones who know me well will be shocked by this news!  I EAT BANANAS! I had 3 today! 

(for everyone who is confused, I hated bananas for the longest time)

I love you all!

THE JOURNEY

I can't believe its already been a month that I have been out here! Time is flying by!

So I am on my second week of classes and they are great! I love what I am learning and I love the professors that are teaching them. The classes are more than just a traditional 'class' but it is a time for the professors to pour into us, challenge us, and encourage us! The classes that I am taking are: Personal Leadership, Old Testament,  Music Excellence, and Band Practice. How college works here is that all the worship, dance, media, and production students attend the same lecture class. Then for each class there is something called your tutorial group. This contains 20-25 students that are in your stream and you have all your classes with them. You pretty much live life with. Each class will have a tutorial time which is usually lead by another teacher and we talk about everything that was discussed in lecture that week. We also take this time to pray for each other and talk about life with each other.

While being here, I have learned a lot about myself. To be honest, my expectations on coming here was to just learn things about worship and what all that entails, but God had different plans. Coming here has been a huge eye opener. I noticed how comfortable I was in Oklahoma but being here I have had to rely on God sooooo much! IT'S AMAZING! At times it can be hard because I will start missing home, family, friends, and North Church but I have had to lean on God to fill that void. I want to be satisfied with God and God alone! I have started to write Scriptures that really speak to me in a notebook everyday and when I walk to class I take that time to read over it. I want to know God's Word and I want His instructions written on my heart (Psalm 40:8). I really want to take this time I have here to GROW, SEEK God, and to become more confident in Him.

Here are some verses that have been very encouraging to me:

Psalm 32:8
The Lord says, "I will guide you along the BEST pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

Psalm 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm. 25:5
Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for you are God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

Now let me tell you a little about how my job is going! IT IS GOING GREAT!! God could not have blessed me with a greater job! The owners are amazing people and I love working with them! On March 3rd, I am helping put on a 'Live Music Performance' at the coffee shop! It is going to consist of all different performers singing or playing insturments from Hillsong College and it is going to be a blast! Pray that it works out and is a huge success! I want to see this business flourish!

Below are pictures of when I went to the downtown Sydney! It is about a 40 minute bus ride and cheap to get there!

Of course this is the Opera House! Took this picture from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

So I have a slight obsession with gelato! Way better than ice cream! This was a gelato shop on the harbor and it was definitely my favorite! They had about 30 flavors! My goal is to try all of them before I leave! Haha

These are some of my friends (great people) and behind us is the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Sail Boats!

Skyline

Skyline from Botanical Gardens

Thank you for all your prayers!

Prayers:
For students who do not have jobs to get some.
For my job to pick up in business.

Love you all!
David

MAY THE FUN BEGIN!

HELLO EVERYONE! So I think it is about time to update this blog! As you all know, I have been looking for a job! Well........I GOT A JOB!! It's a coffee shop called Waroeng (Meaning 'Little Shop' in Indonesian). How this all came about was a total God thing! On Thursday, I went to the city for a conference Hillsong put on for all who were 18-25 years old. One of the speakers talked about tattoo trust and asked if we were putting ALL of our trust in God no matter what. At that moment I felt God speak to me about not putting my full trust in Him, especially for this job. That night I told God that I would put my totally trust in Him knowing He would provide. That next morning, God put in my head a verse I had read a couple of days before and it was Psalm 73:23-24 "Yet I still belong to you, you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny." I said this verse over and over again that morning. Then I went out to search for a job! The third place I stopped at was that coffee shop! I asked if they were hiring and he said, "Yes! You want to help?" Of course I said yes :) That day I got hired and him and his wife trained me! They are awesome people both from Indonesia.

They opened the shop just two weeks ago! I am excited to be apart of this and to help as much as I can to make their business grow! I feel like God has placed me here not just to help grow their business but also to show the love of Christ. My first day of work, they started to call me as part of their family! This showed me that this was a total God thing. I have given them ideas about having a 'live band night' and opening up on Saturdays so that the students can hang here. They were excited to hear about my ideas and are looking forward to doing them! Please pray that their business will grow! I am very excited to see how God will use me here!  

Also, classes have started! Praise the Lord :) This week is called "intensives". So it is pretty much one class (Church & Ministry) all day long! Towards the end of the day my mind feels like a prune haha...so much information! Next week, actual classes start! I'm very excited about that! Below is a picture of our Chapel time! They are amazing and I'm pumped to have these 4 days a week! 

                                                                  This is our Chapel

Bondi Beach

Sydney Harbor

Thank you for all your prayers! I love and miss you all!

Eh Mate!

It has been a week living here in Australia and things are going good! I love the people I am meeting here. They are from all over the world and are so talented in so many ways! This past weekend I went to both the city campus and hills campus services! The services were great and worship was amazing!

Today we had orientation and I have never been so excited to start school! It began with some worship then the Vice President of the college poured into us (who is so funny). Hillsong is all about getting the students to build their relationship with Christ and to go all over the world and spread the good news! They do care about the talents of students but what they care about more is their engagement with Christ! We also had auditions today! The reason they have these auditions is to see where you're at so that they can help you grow and challenge you. I love how they do things here! This will be such a great year and I am so excited to see all that God will teach me!

These past couple of days have been so good for me and my time with Christ. Of course, I have been missing everyone at home and sometimes it can be hard but I read this Deuteronomy 31:6  the other day and it hit home for me. I know God will never leave me and He will be the One to give me joy when in all situations.

Deuteronomy 31:6
"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Below is a picture of the city campus.

Below is the hills campus. Amazing!

At Hillsong they have toothbrushes in their bathrooms...have not figured this one out yet :)

Please still be in prayer for a job opening up here! I know God will provide in this area! I love you all!

ALWAYS PERSEVERING

Australia begins!

Hello everyone! I am really excited to start blogging! I just moved to Australia on Tuesday to go to Hillsong International Leadership College. I entered into the Worship Stream and I am so excited to learn and be stretched in so many ways by God. I plan to blog about all that God is teaching me and hopefully it can speak to you and encourage you! 

Some prayer request that I would have right now is for God to provide the right job for me here! Things  in Australia are very expensive. I mean there is no dollar menu at McDonalds. How is that possible? :) I know God will provide and I would love for all my friends and family to be in agreement with that! 

This is the Sydney Harbor Bridge! This was the one of the first things I saw while driving from the airport to Hillsong! So cool!

 This is the house that I am living in! I have 6 other roommates. Two are from Switzerland, one from Germany, one from Norway, one from Canada, and one from LA. They are awesome people. I have about a 25 minute walk from here to school. So no need to worry about getting out of shape :)

Hillsong has two campuses. One is in the city of Sydney and one in a suburb called Bella Vista (also know as the Hills Campus) . I attend the Hills Campus. It is beautiful! All sorts of trees everywhere and some awesome birds like parrots!

Thank you for all your prayers!