I'm Just a Hot Mess

Recently someone made a comment to me that stated something along the lines of “Joe your life always seems so put together.” I giggled and thanked them and I immediately began to think of all the areas that my life wasn’t “put together”. 

Ever since I was a young kid I remember feeling this inner pressure to appear perfect, and make people believe that my life was pristine. This pressure has carried with me most of my life, and when that comment was given to me I felt validated, as if I had achieved some sort of goal. I guess that goal was to fool those around me into believing that I lived a perfect life. As I pondered that statement I was reminded of how imperfect my life is. In fact it’s really messy. But one of the coolest things about having a relationship with Jesus, is that despite how messy my life is, He loves me the same as if my life was perfect. You see, He doesn’t ask me to be perfect or have my crap together, rather He asks me to come as I am. 

I’m a hot mess. My life is in no way “put together” but, I have a Savior who sees my mess and loves me regardless. And the best part is He doesn’t leave me in my mess. Instead he walks me through it. I am also blessed to have such an incredible group of friends who love me despite my mess and chaos.

Restoration in Bitterness

I am a broken person living in a broken world. Like many of you, I've been mistreated, used, abused, and hurt by others. Often times Christians. For a long time I held onto bitterness, anger, hatred, and I even blamed God for the way people treated me. It hurts, it's unfair, it doesn't make sense, and it's quite lonely. I get it. But, what I failed to realize was that the people who I was hurt by, were also broken people living in a broken world. You see, you can't add brokenness to brokenness and hope that it will magically be made whole again. 

Not very long ago there was an incident where someone's words and tone where very hurtful. In the moment I was full of rage and anger and all I wanted to do was lash out. In fact in my mind I wanted to grab the individual at their throat. Luckily, I kept my cool and fled the scene. Still full of rage I sat on the edge of my bed thinking of all of the hateful things I should have said or done. In that moment when hate was overcoming me the Lord broke through and began to work on my heart. I felt as though He was asking me, "why is your heart so wicked?" I began to place the blame on the individual who's words hurt me. I felt that my feelings were justified. I felt the Lord speak again and ask me "Joe, why is your heart so wicked? Don't you know that's my child too?" In that moment I felt paralyzed. I really didn't know what to do or how to respond. I was the victim here, so why weren't my emotions and response justified? Didn't I have a right to be angry? That's what I began to ask the Lord. After crying, praying, and yelling, I felt God say "No your emotions and response weren't justified and you don't have the right to hold onto this bitterness and anger." 

You see, the enemy will tell you that your emotions are justified and that you have every right to be angry and bitter, but that's because the enemy wants you to live in bondage. When Jesus was murdered on the cross He didn't only die for our sin, but He also died for our offense, our anger, our bitterness, our rage. He died for it all. In that moment of trying to justify my rage I began to examine my heart and all of the wickedness inside of it. For so long I was holding onto bitterness that I was never designed to hold onto in the first place. Christ didn't die to bring partial freedom to our lives. He died to set us totally free! I had never realized the bondage I was living in until that evening when hatred was flowing through my veins. I began to realize the weight of the offense that I had been carrying around for far to long. I had a choice to make. Do I choose to live in the bondage of offense and anger or do I choose to live freely and give it to God?

About an hour after the incident I didn't have any hard feelings, no bitterness, no anger, and no rage. I even began to pray blessings upon the individual and others who had hurt me in the past. I was free. Don't get me wrong, I still get upset, and angry, and bitter just like any other broken person out there. It is a daily struggle to not hold onto offense, but, I've learned that I am not suppose to hold onto that garbage anymore. Besides, when we hold onto offense it's not hurting anyone but ourselves. Take a step towards freedom and begin to let go of your offense and offer forgiveness.

Joe Thompson

The Struggle Is Real

“Are you willing to give up everything you have for the sake of the Kingdom of God?”

This is a question that was asked by a middle aged man who has dedicated his entire life to spreading the love of God throughout his home country of India.

As I sat at my table during lecture this question kept repeating itself over and over again in my mind. I started wondering what my life would look like if I truly gave up everything to follow God. I started to giggle and thought to myself “God would never ask me to give up everything,” but yet again the question popped into my head. I felt God specifically ask me, “Joe, are you willing to give up everything for me?” I sat in my seat shocked and overwhelmed, not knowing how to properly respond. I so badly wanted to say “YES God! I am willing to give up everything!” but my flesh was screaming “NO! I love my possessions and luxuries more!”

I like to think of myself as simple and relatively easy going. There are just a few things in life that I truly love and desire. I love my MacBook, my closet full of clothing, my vast amount of music, my bed, my HUGE family, and I also love the fact that I can enter almost any store and buy a Mountain Dew. Ok, maybe I’m not so simple and easy going, but was God really asking me to give up the few things that I love?

For the next five days I struggled with this question. I pled out to God saying “God please don’t make me give up everything. Haven’t I given up enough already?” and once again God said “Joe, are you willing to give up everything for me?” I didn’t know what to do. Did God want me to take all of my belongings and donate them to the local Goodwill and move to a distant land to be a missionary? Or does God just want me to give everything away and learn to live like the Amish or something? Well it turns out God wasn’t asking me to do either of those things. God was simply asking if I was willing to obey Him when He asks me to do something.

When I was a child my parents would often say to me “I love you,” and my natural and honest response was “I love you too.” When my parents would ask me to do something I wouldn’t do it out of fear or guilt, but simply because I loved them and wanted to show them that I loved them through my obedience. Why would this be any different with my relationship with God? If I truly love God like I say I do, then why wouldn’t I obey Him when He asks me to do something?

No, God has not yet asked me to give away all my belongings, say goodbye to my family and friends and move to a distant land, but, if that time comes will I be obedient and say yes to His calling?

Maybe God isn’t asking you to sell everything and uproot to a foreign destination. But I do believe God is asking us if we will be obedient to His calling (whatever that may be). I pray every day that my response will be “Yes Lord, I will go.”

God has not called me to live a comfortable, easy, or normal life, but He has called me to be obedient in all things.

Joe Thompson

“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you”

                                                                      -John 14:15

Gods Vision...My Purpose

Hey Everybody!

This is my first official update since I began serving on staff with YWAM Honolulu!

For those of you whom don’t yet know, I have agreed to follow Gods calling upon my life to serve on staff with Youth With A Mission in Honolulu Hawaii.

During this period of my staffing experience I am serving as part of the Discipleship Training School (DTS) staff. I will be working directly with the DTS students and training them to be short and long-term missionaries. Then supporting them as they go on outreach cross culturally for three months.

This week as a staff we have been gathering daily for a time to worship together, learn together, serve together, and grow together. Each morning we spend time in small groups reading through 1 Corinthians and sharing how God spoke to us through each passage. It has been so rewarding to learn from Paul’s teaching to the church at Corinth.

On Tuesday we as a staff learned what it meant to have vision and how our personal visions need to align with the vision set forth by God. I was challenged to examine the purpose and vision God has given me. I was reminded that as a Christian my purpose here on earth isn’t finished until everyone has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Although during my lifetime I may be serving God in a variety of capacities, my purpose still remains the same.

We examined the vision of YWAM Honolulu, and I feel that in our partnership together it is important that you (my supporters and partners) know the vision set forth by God for YWAM Honolulu.

YWAM Honolulu is a community of Christians who are called to give their time, talents, and resources for the sending and equipping of long and short term missionaries with a passion for reaching the unreached frontiers.

This vision has been consistent since the pioneering of YWAM Honolulu in 1980 and is relevant today. It is the heart of YWAM Honolulu to raise up missionaries who will reach the unreached.

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible…To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” -1 Corinthians 9:19-22

Until heaven is full and hell is empty

Joe Thompson

If you wish to know more about YWAM Honolulu, I encourage you to check out our website at http://www.ywamhonolulu.com

What's Next?

If you haven’t already heard I will be moving to Honolulu Hawaii on August 31^st to work with the organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM).

In January I began to feel God calling me to return to YWAM Honolulu as part of the staff. This calling caught me off guard and I began to tell God every reason why I shouldn’t go back to YWAM. For the last seven months I have continued to fight with God about this calling and His response has consistently been “do you trust Me?” I have now agreed to follow Gods calling and return to YWAM Honolulu.

While working with YWAM I will get the privilege to be a part of the Discipleship Training School (DTS) Staff. During this period of time I will be pouring into the lives of the DTS students and leading them into a deeper relationship with God. After the students complete their lecture phase, I will be leading a team of students into Southeast Asia for a three month missions trip. On this trip the students will be submerged into a foreign culture, exposed to new adventures, and will be taking the gospel to the nations.

I’m sure you’re wondering how you can be a part of all of this. And here is how!

I am praying for individuals to partner with me on this journey and walk alongside me as I follow Gods calling. I am in need of partners in two main ways. The first way to partner with me is through prayer. I am asking you to agree to pray for me, the students I will be working with, and the impact we will have cross culturally. The second way in which you can partner with me is financially. I am in need of $350 per month which will cover my rent and all my meals. Because YWAM is a nonprofit organization, I will not be getting paid for my service. I am not writing this to ask you for “donations” but rather for partners who want to walk alongside me on this journey. It is not my heart for this to be “my experience,” but rather “our experience.” I want each of my partners to personally see and experience the fruit of our labor, and hear the testimonies of the individuals whose lives have been changed.

If you feel led to partner with me financially here are a few simple ways in which you can do so.

One is simply by check/cash.

The other is through my fundraising site. If you choose to use the site, please note that the website will attempt to take a portion of the donation that you make. But you can correct that by pressing the “YouCaring recommended” button at the bottom of the page and changing the recommended amount to $0.00.

Here is my sight: https://www.youcaring.com/joe-thompson-623575/donate#pp

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Email: jedidiahjourney@gmail.com

Thank you for your support and love as I strive to follow Gods plan.

Joe Thompson

Going Into All The World

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s not very often that I get the opportunity to share with you all that God is doing in my life. I wanted to take this time and share some of the highlights that have occurred over the last year!

As most of you know in September of 2014, I had the amazing privilege to attend a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through the organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and was blessed to spend nearly three months in the country of Nepal. While in Nepal God revealed what I believe to be His calling for my life. As I hiked to remote villages to share the Gospel, God confirmed that He has called me to be on mission for His kingdom. After returning home in March of 2015, I began to seek Gods guidance on the next steps to take in order to fulfill His calling.

In the spring of 2015 I was asked to join the staff of The Church at Severn Run, and was given the opportunity to work alongside other staff members and pastors while having a direct impact in the area of church ministries. In August of 2015 I became a fulltime student with Liberty University Online and began to pursue a degree in Christian Leadership and Management, while also balancing a work schedule at Severn Run. As I learned to balance a work life, school life, home life, and social life, I was reminded how it felt to be a student again. And I loved every minute of it! (Except for my accounting class…) I successfully completed my freshman year of college with a 3.87 GPA and made Deans List both semesters! (Let’s be honest. I wasn’t expecting that either). As I continued throughout the school year God was continuously reminding me of His calling, and continued to reveal more of what His calling meant.

In January of 2016 I began to hear God calling me to return to YWAM, but this time as part of the staff. This calling caught me off guard and I was confused as to why God would be calling me to leave again. I had already done my missions trip and I was now home with a secure job, and great grades in college. I wasn’t looking for another mission’s opportunity, and wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon, but God continued to ask me if I was willing to go. I began to communicate with the base leaders at YWAM Honolulu, and asked questions about how I could best serve there. During this time God was confirming His calling for me to return to YWAM Honolulu. I submitted my application and was soon after accepted on staff. For the last seven months I have been in a constant battle with God explaining to Him all of the reasons why I shouldn’t go back to YWAM, and His response has consistently been “Do you trust Me”? After much time spent in prayer, many tears shed, and a great amount of guidance sought, I have agreed to follow Gods calling and return to YWAM Honolulu.

In September I will begin staffing with YWAM Honolulu. I am not yet 100% sure what this is going to look like, but I would like to share just a small piece of what I will be doing. For the first portion of my staffing experience I will be a part of the base staff, which means I will be serving the base in a variety of ways. During this period of service I will get the privilege to lead students into the city of Honolulu to participate in weekly evangelism nights. These nights are focused on building relationships with local students, homeless individuals, and people in the community while presenting the Gospel to them. During my DTS these nights were personally life changing and challenged me to be bold in my relationship with God. I will also be pouring into the lives of the students through bible studies, worship, and connection. This is a time where I will be challenged in my leadership and relationship with God, and will also allow the base leaders to see my strengths and weaknesses. After serving as part of the base staff, I will begin serving as part of the Discipleship Training School staff. During this period I will be discipling students, and challenging them in their relationship with the Lord, then leading them into a cross cultural mission’s trip into Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. During my DTS I had two fantastic leaders that challenged me and poured into my life, and now I get the opportunity to do that for other students!

Serving on staff with YWAM Honolulu is an experience of a lifetime, and will provide me the opportunity to fulfill a piece of what God has called me too. Because YWAM is a nonprofit organization, and because I will be a missionary for Honolulu and Southeast Asia, I will not be getting paid for my time on staff. While on staff I will be paying $350 a month which covers my rent and meals. I am not writing you to ask for “money” or “donations”, but rather I am writing you because I am looking for partners to walk alongside me on this journey. I don’t want this experience to be “my” experience, but rather “our” experience. This is a time where we can collaborate and reach the nations for Christ! That being said, I am making it my mission to share with you the fruit of our labor. I want you to walk alongside me every step of the way and hear the testimonies of what Christ is doing in the lives of His people.

There are two ways in which you can partner with me on this journey. The first way is through prayer. This is personally the most crucial aspect of partnering with me. I am asking that you commit to praying for the impact I will have cross-culturally in Honolulu, and also in the lives of the students. The second aspect of partnering with me is financially. I am in need of partners who are willing to financially support me in paying my staff fee of $350 per month. If you feel led to financially support me you can either do that on a one time basis, or a month to month basis. Again it is not my intention to ask for “donations” but rather for partners both prayerfully and financially. If you feel led to partner with me in any way please let me know so I can properly share with you the fruit of our partnership.

If you have questions, want to get coffee, talk on the phone, or video chat, please don’t hesitate to ask! I want this to be a true partnership rather than me doing this on my own.

Thank you for your prayers as I follow Gods calling

 

Joe Thompson

SOCIETY SUCKS!

Lets be honest, society sucks. If we were to truly take a step back and see the true destruction that society causes in our lives then I think you would agree with me.

For some odd reason we have bought into this idea that society is allowed to run our lives. We allow society to tell us what to wear, where to shop, what our weight should be, what music we should listen to, and just about any other aspect of our lives. Sure all of these things may seem harmless but if we were to be honest with ourselves, I think we would be able to see the damage society causes.

Growing up I deeply struggled with my self-image. Throughout middle school and high school, the majority of my body was covered in acne. This may seem small and meaningless but when society tells you that you should have perfect skin then the small issue of acne becomes quite large. People in my classes and school would make remarks like “Why don’t you just wash your face” or “Ew gross,” these remarks began to control my life and I began doing everything in my power to make this natural issue go away. After taking 60+ medications and face washes, I realized that maybe I should just stop trying. But once again those remarks began controlling my life, and I was back trying to rid my skin of these awful blemishes. Time and time again I would beg God to take this ugly acne away and make me look normal, and He would often respond with “Joe, shut up”. Now I don’t actually think that’s the way God said it, but at the time that’s what I needed to hear. During this time I was participating in a Bible devotion and was led to a verse in Genesis 1.

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

As I read this verse over and over again I could not fathom the fact that the God who created this universe, also decided to create ME in HIS image. I allowed society’s opinions of me to control my life and dictate what I should look like. After discovering that I am made in the image of a perfect creator I began rejecting the lies of society, and believing the truth that I was created in Gods perfect image. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle with my self-esteem, but I now am able to stand firm on who God says I am an not what society says I should be.  

This week I just want to encourage you to reject those lies that society is yelling at you. Its not going to be easy, but the reward is great.

Blessings,

Joe