The JKL Writings

This first part i did not write…i heard it as a kid and its stuck with me all these years! If you know where its from i would love it if you could tell me so i can give credit!

I was trapped by the invisible walls of my fate,
Tricked by the idea that I could not escape,
Chained up in a ghetto where my father died,
Fooled into thinking I would never go outside.
Imprisoned by my friends who knew nothing but war,
Shackled to everything that had gone on before.
I would always be here in this dead end life of mine,
My heart turned back by a city limit sign.

Yet,
and yet I now see a way out of my concrete jail,
A new way to soften a heart that’s grown stale.
No longer cursed in this place for the wealth,
No longer fighting with man or myself.
I understand now what it takes to get real.
If you wanna stand up, you have to learn how to kneel.

I surrender.
My weapons are down at my feet.
‘Cause we’ll never have freedom
When there’s blood on the street.

The blood on the street that HE once gave 
The blood that shows I am no longer a slave!
With flesh torn from his back and thorns stabbed in his head
If you were to see this man you might as well thought he was dead

But no, He picked up his burden and carried his cross
Fully knowing what the price of our sins will cost
Nails were driven into his Feet and hands
And within that moment he became the worlds most hated man!

As his body was cut off from oxygen and his strength depleted
He looked up to the skies, wept, and then pleaded
“Lord! Forgive them for they do not know what they do!”
And everyone witnessed the death of “The King of the Jews”

We killed God! 

All Hail Satan for we thought that he won
But let me tell you something my brothers this story hasnt even begun!

See THREE days past in which Jesus was dead!
Three days his body lay on that cold, stone bed
But on the third day our Lord Came back
And everyone gasped like an asthma attack!

He said “Go out and preach to all the nations
Baptizing them with endless recitation”
And so this is our duty to go preach the good news

Because through our God we will never ever lose!

As he held me in the airport our eyes aligned. My new father. I let out a small squeal as any infant does. He smiled back at me as a tear slowly rolled down his cheek. This is My father, the man who i aspire to be. He is the one who has taught me to ride a bike and when i fall down to get back up and keep going. He is the one my brothers and i try to mimic. We sit like him, cross our legs in the same manner, and even have the same humor. This is the man who has taught me to respect all women. He is the one who would read The Chronicles of Narnia every night as i fell asleep to his words imagining impossible worlds and crazy adventures. He is the man who prayed with me every night and makes sure his love for my mother is public and known. He has shown me both sides of a marriage. The Lovely side and the hard side. Through both, he showed us how to get through. He taught us the two most important words of marriage: “Yes Dear!” He has walked me through the bible and challenged me with my faith! He is the man i could not live without. Dad I love you!

I wade into the frigid Wenatchee water, as the soles of my feet get accustomed to the bumpy rocky ground I tread unlike the soft sand I just stepped across. Making an effort I wade across the stretch of water until I get to Pastor Rory who is completely dry from the waist up. As planned, I unfold the sheet of paper that holds the verse Colossians 2:6-7 and read it aloud. The other campers listen to the first verse of the afternoon as my voice is spread across a megaphone that Miksa holds. They hear my voice crack at the beginning, my breath catch near the end, and the entirety of my favorite verse. I answer “absolutely” and “definitely” to Rory’s questions and am dunked underwater. As I’m submerged underneath, a feeling of absolute peace washes over me. When I emerge to the resounding noise of cheers and claps all I can do is thank God for the calmness He has given me through my whole baptism, ever since finding out I was chosen to go first.

I’m near tears when I finally find Starbucks and spot Alison 30 minutes later than said time. Being late embarrasses me to no end, but it makes no difference that it’s a regular bad habit. Soon, we’re settled in with some coffee and skones to talk about camp next week. I confess how nervous I am to be a leader and work with a co-leader I know nearly nothing about. Alison’s reply calms my fears, immensely, as she explains how I was the first on the list of adult leaders being requested for camp and the school year. Knowing that ministry leaders believe in me is something that would normally sound nerve-wracking to me, but is a source of comfort this time. Little do I expect, the following week brings me one giant story of how I gave up on my overwhelming worries and in turn God used me in every single moment possible. Calming me with the sunrise coming over the blankets of mountains, comforting me through worship in the sun and under the stars, and revealing his glory through conversations with unexpected people, God had a plan for me to be first and be His. 

The guitars fade out and the voices quiet down as we finish with “everybody rise and sing”. I turn around timidly, grabbing the dense microphone about to head onto the stage. But I pause as I notice Ross speak into the microphone leading us into the next song. Confused and slightly embarrassed, I put the mike back down on my seat and look over at Maddy who gives me a reassuring smile. As I try to calm my own spirits, the lyrics invade me, “water you turned into wine”. I get lost in the worship and all my senses are at peace in my moment of praise to the Utmost. It’s when this song ends that I repeat the motions I took one song early and follow through with them until I’m on the stage. I don’t really know what I’m doing, except that I’m nervous, and the lights are on me as I make out the silhouettes of familiar figures. The rest is God putting words in me, as I crack a joke about my giraffe shirt and then make a brief instruction for everyone to greet each other as if they’re sharks. After I return the microphone and join everyone in greeting, I am reassured that the welcome went smoothly and sensationally. I only found out this morning, running 5 minutes late, that I’d be the first to speak and kick off the student-led Sunday morning. Yet, in the chaos and the willies, God sent me a second song and a chance to be at peace with myself before the moment he gave me words to shine.

So many moments, in my insecurity, thrown into a position of leadership, God is right there with me. He is Emmanuel, always was and always will be. Sooner or later, I have to realize that it is my role to take the intentional first step, to make the first action, to be the one to start the fire. And in God’s book, when a fire is ignited, it can’t be stopped, it can only spread and bring goodness and truth, destroying lies and past pain.

This is for all of you! This is for all the people who take the time to actually read this and not just ignore it and push it aside. This is for all the broken hearted people and al the people who think they are invisible. This is for my friend who thinks he isnt good enough and this is for my brother who is made fun of all the time. This is for the captains of the football team and for the kid who was rejected. this is for the popular girl who doesnt show the bruises in her arms. This is for the girl wo tried to commit suicide. This is for the Gay Kid who is super cool but no one understands him. This is for my friend who hasn’t been told his parents love him. This is for the Church girl whose past is hidden from others. This is for the father whose children have abandoned him and this is for the Children whose parents abandoned them. This is for the nerdy kid sitting alone at lunch. This is for the Ravers and the Clubbers. This is for the Girls who have been sexually abused and for the guys who have been captured by porn. This is for the Strippers who do their job so they can support themselves and for the “johns” who hire prostitutes. This is for the Kid who feels alone and for the person who has all the friends in the world. This is for my best friend who i lost to sadness. This is for the bros, and this is for the geeks. This is for the models who have been told what to look like and struggle to look that way. This is for the guy who punishes his body to try to look better. This is for the kid with the 1 pair of shoes and for the person unsatisfied with his wealth. This is for the Girl who is pregnant and her boyfriend who doesn’t know what to do. This is for the person who feels like they have no one to talk to. This is for all of us. 

YOU. ARE. LOVED! 

Loved so much that christ took his title as LORD and humbled himself. He did this for you. He died with his arms stretched out welcoming you to the kingdom taking al lthe guilt and shame from you. He died and rose 3 days later leaving all the pain behind showing that death has been defeated!  He died. For you! This is His gift and i pray you accept it.

I slowly open my eyes to view the sun shimmering across the water one last time. Before im greeted my death i feel a warm hand grab mine. i slowly rise to the surface and just before darkness engulfs me my lungs expand with the breath of life as i break the surface of the water. As i gasp for air i look up towards my rescuer. He has a large beard, somewhat skinny and hair down to his shoulders. He is still dry, He must have reached in and grabbed me while i was struggling. He look at me and said that i had little faith. I dont know why i doubted the fact that i could swim. Lord help me in my un belief. My name is Luke and i am a Peter.