Why is the Holy Spirit Scary?

So last night I heard about 16 gunshots not too too far off from my back yard. I think that is the first time in my life that I have heard a gun fired before. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a late night pheasant hunter either... I hope nobody died. Along the same vein, a guy in our youth group's brother got shot yesterday. He'll live but the upshot of it was that the kid gave his life to Jesus! Praise the Lord. America is stupid about guns I'll leave it at that. (Dave if you're reading this feel free to correct me cause I realize I'm speaking from a life time of naivity and three weeks of experience in one of the rougher cities of the country)
So this sunday's sermon is going to be about being filled/baptized with the Holy Spirit. Why does this thought make my stomach weird? Why does the Holy Spirit sometimes make me uncomfortable? I want to invite the Holy Spirit into my life like never before. I want to speak in the tongues of angels. I want to wave the white flag in surrender of my life to the Holy Spirit. I am so excited for this.
Mountain View has been going through 10 days of prayer coming up to Pentecost sunday. Each day the prayer room is themed differently and today was all about healing. It was a time to pray for healing in our lives and the lives of our friends and people who have walked away from the Lord. We got to pray for the healing of the nations in the world who struggle with all sorts of diseases. There was one station that commented how in North America with our advances in medicine and technology, we are giving ourselves less and less areas in our lives to trust God for the miraculous. The opportunity was given to directly ask God to work miracles in our lives and to pray for the requests for miracles from other people. It was awesome.
One of the things that I'm really excited to be able to do here is lead a small bible study with six guys from the youth group. I get to buy them all starbucks and then read the word of God with them, help them discern what God is saying to them through his word, help them to apply God's word directly into their lives and then pray and praise with them and for them. Two of my guys enjoy such hobbies as blowing stuff up and shooting things, one of them wants to go into ministry, one of them desires to learn how to pray and all of them are willing to give God two hours of their Saturday night to get into his word. I love it.
Tonight we have a prayer concert led by the Recovery program here at MVCC. I think it'll be fantastic. They all have been so far. Love your churches ladies and gentlemen, pray for them and give to them generously of your time, money and energy. Make it your church and pray the Holy Spirit comes like a rushing wind.
I love you my brothers and sisters.

S-dub

From The Golden State

So today I played basket ball... attempted to play basket ball with some of the kids in our highschool group today... outside... in 32 degree heat... it was rough. Milk would have definitely been a baad choice. One thing I'm learning here in the amazing USA is that sports are a little bigger here than where we're all from. You should see some of the highschools around the clovis area where I live. Their stadiums and playing fields outstrip virtually all of the big UNIVERSITIES at home. I'm talking a high school with a football stadium, multiple swimming pools, a full sized track, two enormous tennis court areas, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and practice fields for all sports, enormous acreages for agricultural experimentation, livestock grazing areas and greenhouses for botany. American high school's oughta be wearing one of those scrolling text belts that say, "I'm kind of a big deal". They care so much about their athletic programs it's laughable. Pastor Fred's son Josiah is in 8 year old T-ball and he's one of the few kids who doesn't attend batting tutorials, own baseball cleats, wear batting gloves, or have parents who have real hopes that their child will play in the Major League. He's the best on the team by the way :)
Another thing I'm learning here is that some American people feel the need to talk nothing but trash about my country... but it's really only the few. It's funny though cause usually the conversations usually come back to the fact that America is an arrogant bully of a nation and my country embraces humility and quietly asserts itself on the global scene without grovelling for attention like our noisy neighbors. I'm doing my best to enlighten as many people as possible about our amazing country. I tell them about the fact that Canada has a far greater guns:people ratio wilst maintaining a staggeringly lower number of deaths from guns. Not one week ago a dude shot two of his friends at Fresno State University in a disagreement over a PS2 game. He killed one of them! I can honestly say I do not feel it is a violation of my rights and freedoms not to be allowed to own a weapon that's sole purpose is for the fast elimination of human life.
Fresno is an interesting place... there is a lot of gang activity in the city... not where I live don't worry. It isn't supposed to rain for the entire time that I am here... I don't know if that excites me. Apparently it is a city surrounded by mountains... but you really wouldn't know it because you can't see any of them due to the smog drifting up from LA and the dirty south. Every night you can watch the sun set and the smog kinda gives it a pretty colour :) Everyone drinks a lot of bottled water here... just a lot of water period which is right up my alley. Fresno also has a fairly high mormon population. It is so wonderful here at night because it is actually a bearable temperature outside and you can walk forever without even thinking about being cold.
Fresno is also the home of Mountain View Community Church which makes Fresno a city bathed in prayer. I love this church and their passion for prayer. Catch the vision people, prayer is effective but first you have to do it. I love you all.

S-dub

California... Beautiful

Well, I'm here. After sleeping for roughly five hours horribly I got in my car and was off. After a little bit of interragation at the border and a bit of prayer I was into the great USA. Due to the fact that I have no stereo in my car I had to be creative in the ways in which I kept myself awake for 18 hours of driving. There are a number of things that contributed directly to my success. For the first two hours it was singing to myself, then that got old and I switched to drinking a lot of Coke. After this I started into the large array of nuts my mother had furnished me with: peanuts, almonds and spitz. Every time I'd feel a little droopy I'd throw back a handful of spitz and I'd be good for another half hour. I had a little nap somewhere in Oregon and that gave me just enough to make it to Fresno. I rolled in around 10:45 or so and was shown my house for the summer.
It is amazing people. I have a pool in my back yard! and a hot tub and a full on basketball court that has lights for night-time use! There is the most beautiful bbq I have ever seen as well. It is sweet. The guy who owns the place is Matt and he is a very cool guy. His hobby is his fish tank which sits 2'x3'x6' in his living room. It is a salt water fish tank complete with coral and amazing fish and plants of all kinds. I live with four other guys (including Matt) and in terms of seating room in the home theatre, there's room for us and three guests... all of which would have reclining Lazy-Boy couches. Complete with 20' vaulted ceilings, this house is pretty much amazing. Anyway enough about that.
The Church is fantastic so far. The worship is all out, the people come from all walks of life and all walks of life are welcomed and accepted. We had a great church anniversary bbq and some great fellowship. I'm sure I'll have much more to say about the church a little later.
Unfortunately on the trip down my car developed a sweet little noise which was diagnosed today at Rusty's automotive repairs... all I can say about that is that Fred is a bit of a bully when it comes to taking care of me and my costs :) A bully in the best way possible.
Today it was sunny and 30 degrees... only getting hotter. People don't even use air conditioning in this kind of weather! I'm a little scared I'll be honest. But then I remember that Fred has a pool and I have a pool and I'm not as concerned.
Much love from California.
S-doggy