Living/Revived

Back to Eden Documentary

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:15:13 -0800

Great documentary on nearly %100 sustainable gardening or farming.

BACK TO EDEN shares the story of one man’s lifelong journey, walking with God and learning how to get back to the simple, productive methods of sustainable provision that were given to man in the garden of Eden. The organic growing system that has resulted from Paul Gautschi’s incredible experiences has garnered the interest of visitors from around the world. However, never until now have Paul’s methods been documented and shared like this!

"Let me tell you, if the gospel you’ve heard is not too good to be true, it probably..."

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:15:35 -0800

“Let me tell you, if the gospel you’ve heard is not too good to be true, it probably isn’t. The frequency of the gospel always inspires, always brings life and hope. The flavor and sound of the true gospel never puts rule and regulation and heavy trips on you. Never makes you feel you have to live up to any systematic expectation for acceptance. It always encourages, always hopes, always trusts, and always loves.”

- Mystical Union: Stuff they never told you about the finished work of the cross.
- John Crowder

Life Halfway with Jesus. (Peake Post)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:55:10 -0800

God came as a man and fixed everything just so we would not be separated from him! He says, I am new and IF I live life for him I will find real life, fulfillment, purpose, joy. That to live for him is actually what I am made for.

Jesus death and rising to life resulted in death for the part of us that lives for our self, now we can be alive truly, which is living for God, and others because of who God is. We are made like him; to quote Genesis in “image and likeness” in character and semblance of love, goodness, kindness, etc.. We were made to live in perfect, awesome, union > relationship with God; now we can again : )

All my life I only died half. I fit Jesus in wherever it was convenient and figured at some point this “new life” the Bible speaks of would just click. This is what I was taught. This is what I saw. This is christianity in the US as I understood it.

I understand to even say the things above and have them mean anything to anyone that doesn’t share these beliefs assumes they recognize a God, AND Jesus, AND the Bible as legitimately from this God. I understand people have issues with the authenticity of the Bible, and we could argue about that, we really could, indefinitely I’m sure.

BUT consider the message, consider what it says. Look at who Jesus is and what he does in there, and undertand he is a historical figure to say the least, at the most, he’s God.

Check into it and see if you buy it! Imagine even that it is from a creator that has given everything for you.

Only after really understanding an option are we put in a place to truly agree or disagree with it.

Good quote from CS Lewis on a different side of that here.

Moving.. (Peake Post)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:53:00 -0800

So I moved.

Over the past couple of months I realize in many ways I have not moved much my whole life.

I was born and raised in San Francisco Bay.

I held several jobs that have been good, but did not lead anywhere.

I have been in several relationships that did not go anywhere.

I called myself Christian, but never followed Christ.

I never got it, not really.

I am tired of living halfway.

I moved because God is real. I have stated I believed this my whole life, but if I really do how can it not be the most important element of my life? To live otherwise would be a contradiction. I have always said it is, but not lived that way.

If something is the most important, and you see another thing keeping you from the important thing most fully, you have to change it or hang out in denial land.

I say God made us and gave everything to be with us so we could be live with him unfettered. He says I am not actually designed to live life all about me and my stuff. I am made to live with him in perfect, awesome, union forever. He paid in blood, torture and death to get back to us, all of us. Anything less than my everything given over only shortchanges myself. He’s our everything, he does not change, he does not lie, he is always good. I believe it. (More on this here)

I have looked a lot for things to fulfill and give driving purpose, for life, and come up empty.

Jesus says he came so we would have life, and in abundance(Jn. 10:10). He also says if we seek to save our lives, we’ll lose it, but if we lose our lives in God, we will find it (Mat. 16, Mark 8, Luke 17).

It’s true.

I moved to change my life and give my time and money and whatever else to God as he would direct and will.

He requires all, it is what’s best, it is what we are made for.

It’s not about me, and it is such a relief.

Faithfulness (Israel Post)

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:26:42 -0800

I’m about to go to sleep. I’m lying on the couch of some incredibly sweet and loving people who have offered us their living room and home to sleep in. I feel the love and comfort of the Holy Spirit as I see His faithfulness and provision for us everyday.

We went to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission tonight and hung out with some homeless folks who stay there. It was great. I want to get involved. I believe God is directing us to the mission.

I’m excited to see what happens.

Sleep!

Life Since Ghana.. (Peake Post)

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:40:09 -0800

In Ghana I saw a very different culture, pace of life, and acquired a new perspective to look at the world.

I left it open to God’s leading whether to stay or not. As three months came to a close I did not feel a significant sense of peace, despite the love I had for the people there, I wanted to go home.

Upon returning I endeavored to put some, “serious thought” into next steps, especially any entrance into full time employment. Through the gift of my family, I was able to take that time, with shockingly little responsibility.

Also during this time I got turned onto two speakers by my friend Israel, Todd White and Dan Mohler. Both really amazing, because true things are amazing. They speak primarily on identity. We are sons of God, Jesus paid for it, we are, what does it mean? I had to listen to a couple of their podcasts before I was on the same page, but they wrecked me for anything less, in a great way. Things I’ve “known” my whole life started coming to life and making sense.

I looked at different positions, researching with the thought of trying anything and everything because I had somewhat realized you can’t know what you like til you try it.

After a bit it seemed fruitless. I started wondering how God views work, what is said about it? I came to verses speaking to integrity in your work, like whatever you do, do unto the Lord. But not a lot about work itself.

I was hiking at edgewood park, thinking, talking to God about work and life. I sat to read and this verse jumped out, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Mt. 16 Also in Mark 8, and Luke 17.

This spoke to me, don’t look for the right job, look for God, lose yourself on Him, to know Him. That is the life you have always looked for. I don’t find it through the right job or community or etc.., I find everything in Him. He cares for me, loves me, died to be with me, and He knows what I need, really need. He says don’t worry about my life, follow Him.

Urbana reflections, what I took away. (Peake Post)

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:32:00 -0800

Urbana consisted of three main components:

1. Morning Bible studies.

2. Large group sessions in the morning and night.

3. Seminars in the afternoon.

1. The Bible studies were great. A facilitator managed a room of between 1-200 people and directed the group through what is called an inclusive study. I believe this is common practice throughout intervarsity groups. The format looked like this:

- Begin with a song and prayer to direct the study to knowing more of God.

- Select a passage to study.

- Have someone read over the passage out loud to the group.

- Read over the text once more individually.

- With a notebook, read over the passage once more and take note of observations like numbers, names, repetition, anything that stands out. Limit observations to within the text.

- Discuss your observations within a group of 3.

- Read over the text and write down any questions that come to mind.

- Compile questions within your group. Which questions stick out to you?

- Decide which question gets most closely to the core of the passage.

- Read over once more and attempt to answer questions only referring to the text at hand.

I found this method beneficial as it forces a very close and critical look at the text itself and allows time to notice and make connections which may be easily overlooked Ina short time.

2. Large group sessions are meeting with all 16,000 in attendants. These were conflicting for me. Lots of very emotional and striking testimonies were shared and questions to the effect of, “if you will not go, who will? You are the most educated, most supplied, most blessed…”

Don’t quote me on that. What I found conflicting is the feeling of being motivated to go serve by emotional obligation or a general call rather than who God is and what He did. The truth of who God is does all the speaking we need.

He gave it all for us, and showed us who we really are, that we are made to be his perfect sons. That truth, the identity as sons living with all the fullness of God within us! That is what we go forward in, drawing from truth that is not exhaustible. Maybe it’s the same and I’m missing it, but here’s where my thoughts led to. ***More thoughts below

3. The seminars offered in the afternoons were good. There must have been over two hundred different seminars to nail down into 6-8 possible available time slots. “Lord, what session do you want me to go to..” : X

I went to a session by Mark Scandrette called practicing the way of Jesus. It was really good, he has a book. That one stood out to me the most.

For some thoughts on other aspects of the event, follow this link:

http://shpeake.blogspot.com/2013/01/urbana-as-event.html

***So here’s where I live, what I’m thinking when I say this about who God is and what he did. Even if you don’t believe in God, suspend your disbelief with me for a second…

God made everything, He’s perfect, pure, good, love. We are the pinnacle of his good creation, we are made to be like God in both nature and personality, image and likeness. We hang out with God and it’s awesome, perfect, unity, every day, it’s what we we are created for. We mess up. We believe the devil and we mess up and we can’t live in awesome, perfect, unity with God anymore. We sin, sin = doing something we’re not made for, it produces no good things and will never fulfill us.

God doesn’t like that, he wants us, he does not settle for separation, he comes as man and he fixes it. He pays the price for all our disobedience, ever. He fixes it, to be with us, and He did it for free cause He loves us. He made it as if we never sinned, justified. He returned us to the value we were created with, as sons and daughters, redeemed.

Now, so me and God are back to awesome, perfect, unity. Thank you Jesus, really. We get to know him, we get to be with him. With knowing him comes everything. Purpose, fullness, new identity, new heart, new life.

"I believe that my union with God happened 2,000 years ago on the cross of Christ. It is completely..."

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 13:19:44 -0800

““I believe that my union with God happened 2,000 years ago on the cross of Christ. It is completely independent and even opposed to my own efforts to procure it.””

- John Crowder, Mystical Union

Nashville! (at Jack’s Bar-B-Que)

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:53:13 -0800

Nashville! (at Jack’s Bar-B-Que)

"Since when has obedience to Christ and His Gospel become optional to Christianity? What kind of..."

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:45:10 -0800

““Since when has obedience to Christ and His Gospel become optional to Christianity? What kind of church, culture or ethnic group can produce a faith where obedience to God has become dispensable? This is the question I ask myself over and over.””

- K.P. Yohannan, The Road to Reality: Coming Home to Jesus from the Unreal World

Following

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:52:33 -0800

Jesus commanded His disciples to do many things that are completely contrary to the way the world works. He said to deny ourselves, to bless and not curse, to give beyond what people ask of us, to love everyone, to not judge… In reading these things it might be hard to imagine…

But praise be to God that Jesus spoke to the Apostle Paul and gave the revelation of adoption, redemption and the new creation. NOW when we read the teachings of The Lord we see how it is entirely possible to live in the ways He prescribed…

We died. He lives in us.

This year, I am following Christ. I am following in the way of Jesus. I am obeying the teachings of the Master and allowing Him to work in my life as He wills. I am denying myself, picking up my cross and following Jesus into death and resurrection life.

Will you come join me in following Jesus?

URBANA12... so far

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 21:20:04 -0800

Today was day 3 of Urbana12. Urbana is a mission’s conference put on by Intervarsity. (https://urbana.org/urbana-12)

Last night, David Platt, writer of the best-selling book Radical, reminded us of the reason why we were saved… He reminded us that we didn’t “accept Jesus” but Jesus accepted us. He reminded us that the Lord saved us from destruction and drank all of the wrath of God not so we could live for ourselves but so we could live for his Kingdom coming. We are alive to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth through violent expressions of love and grace. We must be people of radical obedience not because we’re driven by guilt or by shame but because we’ve been set free and to be obedient to God is to be who we truly are.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of listening to a message given by Mark Scandrette. He wrote a book called Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love. (Check it out here.) He lives in San Francisco, my neck of the woods. He’s been running these experiments in obedience for the last several years. Him and his crew take a passage of scripture and set up an experiment and track the results. I’m really excited to go hang with them when I’m back in CA and learn what I can.

I heard some great seminars today on Contemplative Prayer and God’s Heart for the Poor. Still working through those in my head a little.

Tonight we had the awesome opportunity to pack 32,000 medical supply kits to send to Africa. It took about 2 hours but we (roughly 16,000) Urbana attendees got the job done and celebrated what the Lord had done through us. It was a great moment when the last box was sealed and put in the shipping container. Awesome.

Soooo tired. Ready for sleep.

I’m ready for 2013 and what Jesus will do through me for his Kingdom and Glory. I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.

Bye Girl. You’ve been good to me. Luke 12:33 Acts 2:45

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:34:13 -0800

Bye Girl. You’ve been good to me. Luke 12:33 Acts 2:45

"Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will..."

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 08:44:34 -0800

““Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.””

- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Why?

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:09:07 -0800

So, this is my first post and I thought it would be appropriate to start out by letting people know why I’m even doing this…

I’m 25 years old and like many of my peers I’ve felt a little bit confused about my future and what I would like to do with the rest of my life. I’ve pursued different things. I’ve traveled to India and Ghana and all around the US. I’ve met amazing people and made lasting friendships. I’ve had intense relationships and have even gotten lost in them. I’ve been through devastating pain. I’ve experienced amazing joy and freedom. None of those things were empty, by any means… but I’ve had this constant feeling that there is so much more…

In seeking to discover myself, who God has made me to be and my purpose/destiny, I think I’ve lost sight of something. In all my floating around and searching I simply forgot the fact that in order to find my life I must first lose it.

I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. He’s the way back to the Father, God Almighty. In Jesus, all humanity is restored to a position of being right with God. Loved by God.

If I’m gonna continue another day, I need to stop looking for what God has for me and start being who God has already said that I am and let Jesus be Jesus in me.

In 3 days, I will be heading to St. Louis, MO to attend Urbana 2012 (https://urbana.org/urbana-12) which is essentially a conference about what God is doing around the world right now. After Urbana, I’ll be heading to Nashville and Savannah, TN to meet with some friends and share life/Jesus.

Jesus said:

“The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and followMe is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)

and

“Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

By the end of January, Lord willing, I will have sold or given away most of my possessions and will be on my way up to Seattle, WA. I don’t know how long I’ll be there but I know it will be great.

This blog will be my attempt to document it all… through words, photos, videos or whatever.

Fun stuff :)

Oh yeah, and the reason this is called Living/Revived is because the Bible says that we were co-crucified with Christ… and if we were crucified with Him then we surely live with Him. We have been revived! We are living. We don’t need revival. We are revival.

Breakfast with Peter

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 10:49:54 -0800

Breakfast with Peter

Breakfast #bagels #menlopark #ca #california #afterglow...

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 10:49:36 -0800

Breakfast #bagels #menlopark #ca #california #afterglow #afterglowapp (at Posh Bagel)