On Monday we had our final event  of the Justice and Worship tour. We ended the tour in Adams, TN, a small town with a YWAM campus 1 hour outside of Nashville. This spring we have been on the road for 8 weeks and have seen God do amazing things in our lives, both within the ministry of Steps of Justice and personally.

It has been interesting to look back on the past 7 months and see how we have changed, specifically me (Phil). Our family of 5 has lived in a 31 foot travel trailer for the past 7 months. Since finishing the tour we have spent some time in houses as we have been visiting friends in N. Carolina. It has been refreshing to be in a house with doors and toilets that don’t have to be drained, but it has also been great to realize how little we  need to be happy and comfortable. I am not judging anyone who lives in a house, in fact we are going to start looking to rent again in a few months, I am just saying that we see the world a bit different  as a result of driving and living out of our little home on wheels.

This has been one of the hardest seasons of my life. It has been filled with emotional breakdowns, truck breakdowns and some physical breakdowns in my body. Yet, when I look back on it I see the growth that it has produced in my life and the life of my family. If I were to have the opportunity to do it all over again I would not hesitate even for a second, I would purchase a Chev instead of a Ford though.

What is God asking of you and your life? Are you comfortable? Are you a little to comfortable? Take a moment to ask God about your life. Is there something that He is asking of you that you haven’t heard or are ignoring? Take a chance, walk out in faith and step into the beautiful life God has for you.

Tonight we are running our second to last evening of Justice and Worship at The Eden Gate in Nashville, TN. We pulled into Nashville last night and will spend the day in the rain with Justin and his family hearing about the church, the city and the ministry/focus that they have towards to city and justice issues. This tour has been a real gift to us as a team. It is something that will stay with us for a long time to come. Thanks so much for your prayers, your support and your encouragement in it.

Thanks to all the churches, communities, schools and YWAM centers who have hosted us and have made this thing come together. I am convinced now more than ever that what God requires of us in not our sacrifice, but our obedience. That step of obedience can and will change your life and lead you more towards Jesus.

Yesterday, March 28, 2012 I had one of the most spiritual/worshipful times that I have had in recent memory. Our family was driving from Ozark, Arkansas to Kansas City as we were headed to our next location on theJustice and Worship tour. We were driving through some of the most beautiful and stunning country side that I had seen in quite a while. The leaves were of all colours and the grass was a deep, deep green as we drove up and down the hills leading out of the Ozarks.

Amy and I were just talking about how cool it has been to be on this tour for the past 6 months as a family and how amazing it has been for our kids. We were listening to some worship music on the ol cd player and during the chorus we glanced back and saw our kids looking out the window and singing along. The chorus was simple, it just said “fill me up Lord, fill me up). There we were, a family of 5 driving through some of the most beautiful country we have ever seen and listening to our 9 and 5 year olds worshipping the God who created it all. It was so worshipful and completely  overwhelming.

I looked at Amy and we both had tears in our eyes as we tried to soak in the moment. It was truly pure and beautiful. I didn’t want the moment to end. I almost pressed repeat on the song, but I didn’t want to recreate something that God had given in the first place, so we just sat there thankful for the blessings, gifts and undeserving life that Jesus has given us.

I realized that words on a computer screen cannot even touch what I was feeling yesterday, but take a moment with me right now and remember a time where all felt right with the world and your soul. Was it a moment that Jesus gave you with a friend, family member, by yourself? I believe we all have those moments, undeserved moments of peace and life. Most of the time we either miss them, or just pass through them without taking time to soak it in. These moments that Jesus gifts to us regardless of anything we have done for him. It is a beautiful thing.

Take some time to look back on those moments that you have had and thank God for them. Cheers.

After rolling out of Las Vegas last week, we decided to stop for a few nights in Williams, AZ and visit Grand Canyon National Park. The scenery was beyond spectacular and we have a wonderfully clear day (which redeemed Chris and I’s trip there back in Feb when it was snowing and we could see literally nothing!) After Williams, we headed south to Phoenix where the weather was hotter and grass does not seem to exist, which didn’t make our dog very excited.

We had two great events while here in Phoenix. The first was Friday evening at Buckeye First Assembly, where we got to do an Evening of Justice & Worship with their youth. There was a local organization called Natalie’s House that came as a place for people to get plugged into right here in Phoenix. Natalie’s House is a safe haven for girls recovering from sexual trauma due to exploitation and abuse. It was amazing to see the youth’s response and desire to learn more about Natalie’s House and stick around afterwards to see how they could serve with the ministry.

Secondly, we got the opportunity to share a ‘modified’ Evening of Justice & Worship with the women and children at the Changing Lives Center, a new facility that is part of the Phoenix Rescue Mission. We first were able to take a tour of the facility with our contact, Gail, who told us all about the journey to opening this state of the art recovery center last September. They currently have 11 women and 8 children at the center, with capacity to serve many more families. It was great getting to connect with Gail and hear her story of God changing how she viewed homelessness many years ago and causing her to dedicate her time and energy to the Phoenix Rescue Mission.

We spent about thirty minutes decorating sugar cookies with the moms and children, playing red light green light, and then had the opportunity to do a special event for them in their chapel. I can honestly say that this had to be one of my favorite events of the entire tour. Chris shared some songs, Phil spoke and encouraged the women, and then we did some worship, with Emma and Amy leading a kid’s song at the end. Getting to meet and share with these women and their families was truly such an honor. I am not sure that we have had a more engaged and responsive crowd than this group. We are hoping to do more events like this as we head further east.

Last week the Justice  & Worship tour blew into Las Vegas, Nevada, carried by a dust storm with winds almost reaching 80 miles per hour. Trying to drive the trailers across the desert in that wind was one thing, but it was a whole different experience once we finally got to the Hitchin’ Post  RV park and then tried to sleep. It actually felt like we were in a cruise ship cabin except the rocking was not gentle and rhythmic but more of a sporadic shaking, along with some screeching and howling sounds as the wind forced its way into the trailer around some of our windows. Nothing like starting off with a bang!

We are happy to report that we all survived the winds and there wasn’t any damage to our homes! This tour is going to look different, and that is a scary and exciting thing.  There will certainly be a wide variety of ways that God uses us and one of those ways is to share with you some stories of the amazing people that we get to meet along the road. Today, I want to tell you about some new friends who are pioneering the gospel in a city where sin is celebrated.

Meet Sami:  We met Sami on Wednesday afternoon. She is a young woman who has discovered that doing real ministry is not a glamorous job. Sami is leading the efforts of Youth with a Mission against human trafficking in Las Vegas and currently, she is her only staff.  She shared with us how, shockingly, this city has no aftercare centers or shelters for victims coming out of trafficking, so the only place for minors picked up on the streets to go (estimated 400 last year) is jail or back on the streets.  Youth cannot even enter a homeless shelter for the night without signed permission from parents. You’d be surprised, as notorious as this city is for trafficking, how few ministries are actually in operation here. Sami is creating awareness presentations and taking them into schools to help with prevention of at risk youth. At one point, we asked her if she is staying encouraged and she said, “Yeah, Jesus is my rock” and you knew she meant it. She isn’t in ministry for the romance, glory, or really anything other than obedience.

Meet Chris: Friday afternoon we tracked down a guy named Chris, who made some time for us in between hosting two different ministry teams that traveled to Vegas to work with their ministry, Casa de Luz. Chris grew up as an atheist and nine years ago, God changed his life. Chris and his church rented a building in what is known as “Naked City,” which is just off the strip where a lot of gentlemen’s clubs, drug dealers, and prostitutes hang out. They wanted to see the neighborhood changed, and within the last 2 and a half years, change has happened. They are a ministry loving the people rejected by society and shining the light of Christ in places most Christians wouldn’t want to go, loving on the streets kids, homeless, substance abusers, drug dealers, and sex workers that surround them. It is a ministry without judgement and one with a zealous pursuit of being the hands and feet of Christ, even if that means looking very different than your typical “church.”

Meet Ray and Clare: Ray and Clare came to Vegas with Youth with a Mission about 10 years ago for their Training School and decided to stick around, hearing God’s call for the orphan in the city of Las Vegas. With no background in social work, legal studies, or any ‘traditional’ training to make them feel qualified for it, they felt compelled to start a ministry called Foster Connect, which helps connect kids in the foster system to loving families that could care for them. Within 5 years, they have seen many kids get placed into homes, but they don’t stop with the placements. They support these families by visiting them, helping with court appointments and adoption processes, providing needed resources like clothing, toys, and baby gear and praying with the families. They heard God’s heart for the orphan and instead of looking at what they lacked, they moved forward to do what they could to love these kids without families.

So exciting to have the opportunity to meet and proclaim the faithfulness of these men and women who are reaching this city without any fanfare or glory for themselves. More to come as we head to Phoenix…

*written by Jenna Wilson

Tonight we run our last Evening of Justice and Worship event in Kirkland, WA @7pm. We are going to talk about Advent, and how it should be a beautiful season leading up to the celebration of Jesus birth, not a season filled with consumerism and debt. We are going to be showing the Advent Conspiracy video and talking about how we can spend these next 4 weeks pressing into God, not our wallets. We are also going to sing the old familiar Christmas carol Oh Holy Night. I have only seen these lyrics in the past year, but they go perfectly with what I believe Jesus is calling us to in regards to doing justice.

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!