All play no work...!

Time has been great with these guys here. I have worked hard and saved up and now we are playing like crazy!!! We slept in today from the long day yesterday. Then wewent downtown and walked around and souvenir shopped a little bit and then went surfing out at Bethel's beach which was amazing!

Let me describe Bethel's too you. It is a black sand beach so the reflections off the sand when it is wet are amazing whether it is light or dark. Besides that there are just big volcanic rock formations all along the coast. The waves were pretty big and clean for the day. Then it was kinda cloudly just to make the sunset, cloudy yet beautiful. While sitting out behind the waves we had the sunset on one side and the stars above us and the moon just peaking over the rocks and hills on shore on the other... BEAUTIFUL. Trace and Adam loved it.

But pray for me and getting a little work done. I have a few things i just have to get done before going to Australia and that will be the toughest part about these next few days! Tough life i know.. But thanks for your concern in following my life and my thoughts!!!

Rangitoto

Today Adam, Joe, Dan, Trace, and I went and hike Mt. Rangitoto, Auckland's volcanic island just outside the downtown area(see picture below)
We got up at 7:30am to head out!
We kayaked over, hiked up, explored some caves, and came back just before dark!
It was a full and great day to just hangout and enjoy the outdoors!
This Picture below is going up as one of my absolute FAVORITES right now!
We are all tired and going to bed. We plan on surfing and chilling the next two days. So many good conversations are taking place and it is so good just getting to spend time on relationships and people at this point!!! Prayer has been huge in healing Adam's sprained ankle from just YESTERDAY after he arrived.
Dan mentioned today that he thinks we just need to really be careful! :) half kidding half serious. So much "blah" has happened that he reckons we need a lot of prayer and precaution as we head into these next few weeks. I would agree, although i am excited and believe some exciting things will happen and a lot of good conversations and relationships will happen as well!

Trace and Adam Arrived!

It was a full day today.
I picked up Trace and Adam around 7am in the morning.
Showed them around One Tree Hill(picture)
around the downtown
went to Sam's first rugby game
went to the World's largest movie screen to see Pirates of the Caribbean
and got home and crashed!
We go kayaking and hiking tomorrow and meet up with some friends later so hopefully it will work
It is good to have "newbies" who find everything weird and exciting!
It is fun to tour them around and show them into my world!

I had a good conversation with the teens tonight on the drive home from the movies. it was interesting to hear there concern for me leaving and them feeling lost as to what they will do. it gave me a strong vision to pass on the torch strong to the teens and parents who will continue with the youth!!!

God gave me this day to...

I have loved my time with God the Last two Days! Absolutely Loved it!!!! It has been some of the most freeing and refreshing time i have had in awhile. I have had perma-grin(where you can stop smiling) for long periods of time! I went for a 1-2hr walk yesterday and drove for an hour today with no music on. There has been so much victory, excitement, and refreshment in those times... I can't even begin to explain it all but i will start with this.

I was reading a book from my mom called 90 minutes in Heaven. There was a random story describing ne man's life who had lost his sight and became really depressed. One day a friend told him to stop focusing on what he couldn't do. He challenged his blind friend to write down a list of everything he was still capable of doing. The friend came back soon after and the blind man was over a 1000opportunities and counting.
Today i started to play the game, "God gave me this day to..."
God literally "Gave" us this day
We forget sometimes in our routine that God is God and he chooses whether it is time or not. He decides whether the Sun comes up each day or night. In one book called Orthodoxy, the author retorts, Who is to say that God is not saying, that sunrise was and sunset was so good yesterday... Let's do it again!"
God literally gave each of us... this world.. this day for something.
So i started playing the game.
God gave me this day to:
...Live
...To find Him through this world and others
...To help others
...Choose Him
...To Enjoy His Creation
...To Just Be
...To Enjoy My Senses: Touch, hearing, Taste, Feel, Sight
...To Enjoy the Music
...
I am not sure if it is the same for you.. But each of these things excites me and sounds so enjoyable! Even touching the ATM machine and enjoying my ability to feel smooth surfaces was so good.

What is this in response to? I am meeting too many people who seem to just be surviving. Who don't seem to be happy to be at work or where they are at. My question there was:

Why are you happy to be alive today?
I hope you have some answer.

My Life Schedule

I just finished up work as a waiter at Fools n Horses on this Friday!
Life looks crazy from here on out!

Adam and Trace on previous surf trip

May 27 Dan's last Sunday at Shoregrace
May 29 Trace and Adam fly in to New Zealand to see NZ then travel to Australia
June 2 Trace, Dan, Adam, and I go to All Blacks(#1) vs. France(#2) rugby game
June 3 We attend Wesleyan Family Camp for a day
June 5 My Birthday!
June 5 Dan Leaves for the States! He Flies to Florida to attend a wedding with Julie and her family
June 5 Trace, Adam, and i fly to Melbourne, Australia to start our travels!
June 17 Trace and Adam fly back to US from Brisbanne, Australia
June 21 I fly back to Auckland for 3 more weeks.
July 1-5 & 7-13 I will be instructing snowboarding
July 14 Fly back to the US
July 15-21 Visit with grandparents, mom, dad, kelly, brenton, Jen, Brandon, and hopefully their new baby(Due any time)!
July- Working out logistics and raising support to return to New Zealand for another two years!

Passion Pent Up

Below is a journal insert where i have been assessing my life. i do not necessarily agree or disagree with everything i have done as i am more evaluating my present status rather than saying everything below is natural, desirable, etc.

I am always trying to find that place of contentment. That place where you find a grounds where you are happy with where you are at. Where you feel in control of your life or at least truly trust the one who is in control of my life. I have found myself working hard to live a "fun" life. The things i enjoy, the things i am working hard and investing towards are a trip to australia and luxuries of giving to friends and those in my realm of influence. My time has been given towards work, enjoyment on the side, alone time as an escape, sleep, and limited family time. My money has gone towards living costs, my mess ups, and covering myself for the future. My attention has been focused on the immediate although i soak in knowledge in hopes of using it in the future. Slipping through the cracks are the little details of planning for the future and just going through a day making sure to cover my daily necessities for fulfillment! It is funny. I still haven't found life as to what i think it is. I had a moment in the car yesterday where i said to myself, "is this it? Is this the life i am working towards?" I don't know what i want it to work towards or claim to be on a path where i will truly be fulfilled. I so desire and have desired to be active in sport and outdoors and to solely be able to focus on people my age! I have yet to learn the boundaries of focusing on my calling, strengths, and responsibility while not overlooking my the other good without putting it on the same level. There is a tension between my calling and the bigger goals and my everyday life priorities of loving and helping others through the way i live my life. I am scared to come back to NZ. I don't know how the money and logistics will work out. I will work on it, but Lord, I give that into your hands. I also give where you want to use and guide me. Honestly i would love to take on a challenge. Run across the US, travel, etc., but what i desire more than that is a dream and challenge that i can dedicate myself to that has a physical and tangible plan that i am sold on and stoked to pursue in the future! I find myself throughout the week being overwhelmed with passion... Passion to see the church become more lively and purposeful and full of life... Passion to find a life that i can wake up and tell you why i am happy to be alive today... Passion to help people, love them, be there for them, and equip them to change for the better and stay on track towards growing in life and the Lord.... Passion to help people find a place where they can just let out there pent up tension and feelings... A place where people can just sit around and dream together.... Passion to find a place where i can literally "waste" time hanging out with people i enjoy, while moving each other forward through conversation. I find myself being overwhelm with emotion to just make things happen. To cry out and want to see the ShoreGrace to come alive. To cry out and make sure that the church of ShoreGrace and New Zealand is covered and bathed in prayer! I yearn to be at a consistent place where i get up and remember to pray and read to start off my day and keep it within perspective!!! Every time i sit down to write...

Worldview Quiz

I found this quite interesting. I found this quiz off of Rhett's blog who is a member of a more emergent church in South Auckland called Cession. This is how i ranked in my beliefs. The quiz took about 15 minutes if you feel like taking it you can CLICK HERE.

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan, You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 93% Reformed Evangelical 71% Emergent/Postmodern 68% Charismatic/Pentecostal 61% Classical Liberal 54% Modern Liberal 54% Fundamentalist 43% Roman Catholic 43% Neo orthodox 36% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Yeah, Wesleyan! : ) . Actually in New Zealand, i have found myself really enjoying the Pentecostal churches i have visited as well. They are very lively, interactive, and they seem to be the ones proclaim God's power and truth in everyday life. Just Some random thoughts, though.

Being a Dreamer...

Can i dream with you for a second...
(without criticism, without everything planned, without thinking everything through rationally)

Here is my tentative exciting plan for the next few years. It makes me smile just thinking about it!
I am planning on coming back to New Zealand for another one if not two years. I am looking into the possibility of coming back as a fully supported missionary under Global Partners but there are still a lot of details to work out before that happens.
In that time i would also love to complete my Master's degree.
If i were to look into the Program at Asbury i would still have one more year of schooling back in the states after those two years.
If not i am thinking about running across the US(CA to NC)! (haha). I am seriously dreaming, but i was talking it through and why not?!? Just by pure mileage it would take about
Year- 8 miles/day
9 months- 12 miles/day
6 months- 16 miles/day
3 months- 20 miles/day

I am all about goal setting right now so here is a dream three year plan...

2008-2009
Minister in New Zealand with young adults and the Wesleyan church
Finish my Masters
2010
Run across the states
Use any left over time and money in the year to travel
2011
Step into a church that i believe in
Hopefully be on track towards finding a girl or getting married. :)

Just Dreaming...
Why not...?!?

I am open to your thoughts, i am thinking out loud.

If i were to run across the states and you would be willing to jog a leg of the journey with me, would you post a comment saying you would? That would be awesome!
tarzan brent! :)

Someone was praying last night

Dan and his parents (Jack & Diane)
One of my last few goals i accomplished yesterday. Dan and i have done so much! but i really wanted to take Jan and Rod out for a meal to a place with some jazzy/blues music in the background. It was perfect because Dan's Parent's have come to visit New Zealand. They came in on Sunday and Jan, Rod, Dan, Dan's parents, and i went out to Igaucu for lunch. The music wasn't what i expected, but the time was still very special for everyone!
I'm restless... There is something happening, a lot happening in my mind. Someone is praying for me right now and not letting me go to sleep! There was a reason i had that conversation with Rod tonight instead of going to bed. It is between 1:15- 1:45am in New Zealand which means its 6:15-6:45am in San Diego, CA and 9:47am in Indiana and Michigan. I don't know who or why, but someone is praying and keeping me from going to bed. There is something burning in my heart. There is a restless world around me and i am in a time of preparation. This whole trip has been a time of preparation.
I am on a kick where i realize i can accomplish anything physically i put my mind to, Lord willing. hahaha I have honestly been contemplating running across the US... i mean why not?!? But seriously, what that has done has made me contemplate more so what i really can and do want to accomplish in life. To truly look to the Lord and say, "What do we want to do." God is definitely the one driving, but looking back over my life, i have appreciated how many awesome experiences me and God have shared together. He truly is one of my most meaningful relationships as a i look back

Dance Search!

So here i go with another fun idea. I might embarrass myself or never live this one down, but i feel like this is a worthy mission. I want to get people to start making dance videos of all the hilarious dance moves in one place. We need to collect them in one place on YouTube so we can get a collection of the most ridiculous dances to bust out once the music starts playing. All you have to do is reply on youtube with a video to the video above! How fun would it be to have all the dances to watch in one place! Sooo... if you feel inspired, help me out. Think of a dance and post it on there! Let's get this thing going!

Prayer for Future

I have been seriously considering coming back to New Zealand to do some work in the future. There are some big decisions as to calling, time of commitment, and schooling to be worked out in the next couple of weeks. your prayer support is huge and great appreciated! More to blog on later...

Prayer Protection

There have been times that i have prayed in a circle or walked around an area and it almost feels as though God is marking out his territory. Tonight this happened. I was able to walk around the property i am staying on and mark off this area for the kingdom and to begin to extract any evil strongholds that exist in the place they should not!
At first it felt as though i was lifting up the family, my future, and New Zealand on my own. I soon received a picture though...
A picture that there were people like Me. Pillars, if you would allow, that are or i can see in the future praying over new Zealand and starting to put a hedge of protection around New Zealand so that it is a place where evil authorities and power is extracted and God's presences is at work!
I saw people praying all over. I am not sure if that meant that is happening or whether t was something like a See You At the Pole for churches and New Zealand. I thought it would be amazing to know that the churches had gathered to pray for the redemption of New Zealand and victory in his name over deception, false ideas, and habits that have formed in our lives that are contrary to his word. Just random thoughts...

The prayer time was so good and refreshing

Church Everywhere!!!

As you are reading this, i am probably on the set of a cheesy but clean and popular NZ soap opera called Shortland Street to be an extra. i will be a gardener in the background! I will post on the experience tomorrow night.

Saturday morning Dan and I got to cheer on James (far right) at his rugby game. it was a blast and close game although they lost.Saturday, We had a Capture the Flag event with teens from a variety of the Wesleyan churches!
The night ended up going really well with the teens and young adults who attended and helped make things happen! I don't have any pictures of the actual games, sadly, but here are two of the adults who came in full force for the game! Geoff Davies(Kiwi Wesleyan youth Director for NZ), Drew Donovan(2yr Canadian Missionary in NZ), and Josh Bowlin(2yr US missionary Wesleyan youth Director of NZ) were all key in making this happen!

Me, Dan, and the Mackay Boys were looking for Eskimo Pies after Capture the Flag and it still trips me out to see Jan(far left lady)(the lady's house we stay at) on the Tip Top French Vanilla ice cream as i pass through the ice cream section! She is all over New Zealand and Australia!

Sunday was a day of Church! It was good.
Dan and i visited City Impact, which is a larger pentecostal NZ church, in the morning. It was a pretty full on church: i appreciated their hearts and pursuit of excellence. It is fun to worship with the body of Christ in different places and with different styles of worship.

The Youth Band led the music tonight at Shoregrace.
Dan was huge in planning and organizing the practice and music and i helped lead by singing.

Afterwards, i was watching Shine, the Christian television station, with the mackay family after church. The next thing i knew, Dr. David Jeremiah and the Shadow Mountain Sunday morning service was on SHINE through Turning Point Ministries. I was sitting half way around the world watching a televised service on the campus where i went to high school and worked with the kids day camp for 7 summers in San Diego, California! I was watching the sanctuary i graduated in and seeing people in the choir that i knew from back home!
I saw Toben Davis(high school choir teacher), Aly Cochard(hs graduating class), Valerie(graduating class), Mr. Tellinghuisen(elementary school friend's dad), Mrs. Baldwin(hs bible teacher) and other people from my childhood years up through high school! It was quite a crazy Moment!

Live... Just live!

It's been three days since God said that to me on the basketball courts and things have just not been the same! Life is meaningful. Still emotional, you have your ups and down... but so Good. I had a dance session to worship music in the room this morning for like a half hour! it was a beautiful time. I worked a LOT this week, but God honored my hardwork and the conversations. Life seems ridiculously full... too full, but i am loving all of the experiences along the way! Good times, good times.

South Island Trip Recap With Pictures! Week 1

New Zealand is about the size of California to put it in perspective.
There are Videos and Pictures throughout this blog.... enjoy the South Island!
This Blog does not do the trip justice either. I have boundless amount of incredible pictures that this blog just can't handle!

Day 1 Sun
Auckland to Wellington
We drove from Auckland to catch a ferry in wellington by 2am in the morning.

We picked up hitchhiker Luke along the way and stopped by the "Three Sisters" in New Plyouth We slept on the ferry.

Day 2 Mon
Picton to Abel Tasman to Nelson
We woke up early and went and kayaked around the Abel Tasman all day.

We explored, saw and touched sea lions, and jumped off rocks.
Then we met up with at the Macs, a family of a friend Dan and I worked with(Kate), for the night and stayed at their horse farm.

Day 3 Tues
Nelson to Grey Mouth
We spent the morning at the horse farm .
This is where Dan and i jumped off suicide jump. i did a one and a half off the 20 foot rock!
There Dog also has mad hops! Watch this video while it plays catch and tries to catch the rugby ball. Click on Video:
Video 1: Trying to grab
Video 2: Pass Back

We drove to pancake rocks and a blowhole near Greymouth for the night
A Kiwi Bird ran in front of our car briefly (which is very rare to see in the wild)
We went on a wombat hunt (ended up being a possum hunt... but we didn't know better).


Day 4 Wed
GreyMouth to Hokitika to Frans Joseph and Fox Glaciers

Climbed a waterfall
Saw the Glaciers
I don't know how many one lane bridges we went across! at least 20 on the island! There is only one lane and you have to make sure you don't have to give way to traffic on the other side before crossing the bridge!
to Lake Wanaka to Queenstown
Stopped for endless breathtaking relfections and places of peace
We stopped by Puzzling world ( a personal highlight!)
It is a place of illusions, a life size two story maze, etc.
There was one room called the Ames Forced Perspective Room.
The technique of this illusion was used in The Lord of the Rings film to create tall people and little people. The shape of this room is totally distorted although when viewed from outside through a window, the room looks perfectly normal.

Click Here to see Video of Dan and I! It is pretty Sweet!

Day 5 Thurs
Queenstown
This was our adventure day! We debated long and hard between the world's largest canyon swing 360 ft tall and the nevis bungee jump 440 feet tall. We went canyon swing and it was sweet.
here is a video of one of Dan's jumps! Click Here.
Then we just hung around the town which as you can tell was also beautiful!

Day 6 Fri
Milford Sound
we went on a boat ride since this area is known for exploring the waters here surrounded by the mountains

Day 7 Sat
Queenstown to Dunedin

South Island Trip Recap With Pictures! Week 2

The Post was so Big i had to split it into two!

Day 8 Sun
Dunedin
Saw the only remaining Albatross colony
(kind of a disappointment. They are just big seagulls, i was picturing some magnificent creature unlike anything i had seen before)
Personal Highlight: Saw Blue Penguins in the wild!!!

Day 9 Mon
Dunedin to ChristChurch
Met up with an american friend, Emma, who is going to the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. They had a group over for dinner and dan and i just enjoyed hanging out in a dormitory(unusual for here) for the night with a group of guys and girls

Day 10 Tues
ChristChurch
Relaxed in downtown Christchurch
Museums
Architecture
Ran up the World's steepest road

Day 11 Wes
Christchurch
Dan had a migrane so we chilled around the house
i went for a 10-11 mile run and it felt SO GOOD!
went to a bible study on revelations with Jess and Liam
Jess(is the daughter of the family we stayed with in Nelson)
These two felt like close friends we had known forever over a few days together. So cool!
Day 12 Thurs
Christchurch to Kaikora to Picton
Climbed a random structure
Relaxed in Kaikora
Went surfing along the coast
Drove and slept in Picton


Day 13 Fri
Picton to Wellington
Enjoyed the View crossing the sea
Spent the day Chilling in Wellington

Day 14 Sat
Wellington to Tangiroro to AucklandHiked the 17km tangiroro crossing(where some of Lord of the Rings was filmed)
the walk went from a desert like feel to lake filled craters on the top to forest on the other side!

Sat in a Jacuzzi from the strenuous yet fun walk
We got into Auckland Late Saturday Night and crashed

Day 15 Sun
Auckland
Preached on love at church and shared a special in music as well
Here is a short clip of the song