Tonight while talking with my roommate, I received two phone calls from an “unknown” number. Immediately after, I received two voice mails. I checked them and of course they were prank phone calls and I have no idea who from. The first one actually troubled me.

This message was about a “grandmother” that had recently lost her husband and honestly it was making a huge joke out of the loneliness that someone feels when they lose a loved one. This is a very pressing issue on my heart right now. There is a man that I know through my church that has recently lost a son. It’s terrible and I can’t even begin to imagine what that loss is like. The loss of a loved one. The loss of someone so close that you never expect them to be gone and when they are, it just doesn’t seem real.

            The point of this is to say that you have NO idea what people are going through. There are just some things that I don’t think are laughing matters. Maybe it’s just the place I’m personally in right now or that maybe I’m just too sensitive but it just didn’t sit right with me. I think whoever called me and left these voice messages was just trying to have some fun (which I’m all about), but there is always a line and it was definitely crossed tonight. I feel like to be a great communicator, you have to be careful and knowledgeable about how you approach every situation. Someone could be greatly impacted. Whether that is in a great way or a detrimental way is up to you. Be careful of what you say and how you say it, because the impact of words can either build up or dismantle a spirit.

            A couple days ago I was reading through the story of Daniel. You should too cause it’s awesome. Daniel 6. Get on it. Anyway, I’ve heard this story but I’ve never actually read through the whole thing for myself. Turns out, it pays off….of course haha. This is just about my thoughts and what-not so feel free to not read….or read. I’d love for you to read it but you don’t……………you get the point.

            Daniel is a man that has served the empire faithfully for almost 70 years up to this point as well as being a godly man and they wanted to promote him to being a president. This was a very high honor and very respected but there is not just one president in this culture. There would be three presidents under the king and Daniel became distinguished above all of them because there was “an excellent spirit in him.” The other kings set out to find ground for complaint against him and they couldn’t find anything bad about him from anyone. These men knew that he was a godly man so they plotted against him because they were jealous of him. They came to the king and made the king sign a document saying that for three days anyone that worships anyone other than the king will be thrown into a lion’s den. When Daniel heard the document had been signed, he went to his house where he prayed on his knees three times a day to give thanks to the Lord, as he had previously done. The other presidents tell the king of this and by the law, the king has to order Daniel to the lion’s den. When Daniel was brought up and cast into the den, the king declared to him “may your God, whom your serve continually, deliver you!” At first, it seems like the king is mocking him but the more you read, you find out he really actually cares for Daniel. The next day, the king rushed to the den and called out to Daniel. No harm was found on Daniel, because he trusted in God. The king instantly made a decree that all in his royal dominion are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.

            Now….there’s a few things I take away from this:

1)      BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GREAT PEOPLE. Daniel served God faithfully as well as his kingdom and people loved him because they had nothing bad to say about him, yet he was punished and thrown into the lion’s den.

2)      PRAYER FREQUENCY SHOULD NOT BE BASES ON CIRCUMSTANCES. When Daniel hears the document was signed he went to his house and prayed continually but the thing that captures me is it says in the bible “as he had done previously.” This is huge and a huge part of serving God faithfully. Also, notice is doesn’t just say prayed. It says he gave thanks to God. When you pray in tough times, how much do you give thanks?

3)      DANIEL TRUSTED IN GOD DESPITE HIS CIRCUMSTANCES. When the document was signed, he trusted, prayed, and gave thanks. When he was thrown into the lion’s den, he trusted and he was saved. He was saved BECAUSE he trusted. If you do not believe you will be saved, you will not be saved.

            I always think about lost people. It’s something that’s constantly on my mind. The broken, the tired, the weary, the hungry, the people who just have no idea, and the people who have “lost their faith.” I think this last one perplexes me the most. I think once you experience Jesus, it changes everything about your life. I mean everything. Not to say that we all don’t wander off the right path every now and then, but it gets me thinking. People that “experience Jesus,” how can they return to their old life. Their old ways that they proclaimed they need saving from.

            I remember in Clemson when my roommates and I were talking about people losing their faith and my roommate Christan (no, it’s not a girl) told me something that I will never forget. He said that the holy spirit is like a carabiner (the thing that holds people’s keys onto their belt loops). As you have a carabiner, you get more and more keys. The keys are spiritual experiences and they add up. Follow me here, the more keys (experiences with the holy spirit) you gather, the more noise it makes; the more it resonates. You cant ignore the carabiner or the keys on your side because they’re always there making noise or resonating. You can feel them, you can hear them and you can see them. In order for that carabiner to come off, you have to physically take it off and drop it. It doesn’t just come off.

            The point is, I don’t think people “lose their faith.” Once you truly experience Jesus, you attach the holy spirit to you and gather faith. You cant just lose it unless you try to lose it on purpose. I’m also not saying that people that don’t follow Jesus haven’t experienced Jesus. This is known as being caught up in “a moment.”

            The question is, are you caught up in a moment or are you captured in a movement?

            Today, I lost something that was always very close to me. It happened the very thing that had taken over my life. I’m talking about worry. I’m talking about question. I’m talking about doubt and sin at its core. It’s funny how I lost something that was controlling my life but gained something that will now control my life. Pull out the rotten, replace with the new.

            I lost my ability to question the creator. I lost the ability to worry about whether or not I am going to be able to pay bills. I gained life. It’s incredible how God provides for his people despite all odds. I am learning something new every day while I’m down here.

            For a while now, I have been praying for open doors and opportunities. I have been praying for deliverance from my job and relief from the stress of income. I have slowly been receiving from the Lord for what I’ve been praying for. Opportunities to play music again have arose and now I’ll be starting a new job tomorrow that is actually dependable and I just cant wait to be a steward to Jesus in that place. It’s such a good company and the owners and managers have such a great outlook on their employees and how business should be run.

            I am not responsible for any of this gain. All these new opportunities have been all God providing because I can do nothing by myself. It has also been the people that I’ve been surrounded by. I’m sitting in Kudu (my usual coffee spot) right now tearing up because of how thankful I’ve been for my friends around me here in Charleston. Mark McMinn for being there and pushing me spiritually and being such a fantastic leader and listener. Jim Keown for always listening and being papa willow (the mother tree haha). All the people involved with the church plant that I know is going to succeed despite me being there or not. The people at NewSpring Church for being awesome people in general and for providing opportunities and chances to serve in any way I can. Most of all, Mike Bell, my roommate. I really want to thank him for not only pushing me to be a better person, leader, and friend but for believing in me and for teaching me lessons through watching his life drastically change for the better. I’ve watched him come out of the ashes of almost everything, turn around and still be optimistic about life and his relationship with Christ. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch him live, lead, and humble himself in the manner that he does. I am of course leaving out the other awesome people that have changed my life because I could not possibly name everyone. Everyone else. My parents, people in Charlotte, everyone.

Long story short, I’m very thankful and my faith has grown so much from being down here. God is good and he always provides despite circumstances. Believe and he provides. Always.

“This is my prayer in the desert, when all that’s within me feels dry. This is my prayer in my hunger in need. My God is the God who provides.”

                I have so many lately. I feel like I’m constantly praying these days which is a great thing. I’ve been in the word a lot which is also very awesome. I’m on a 100 day reading plan to go through the whole Bible and it’s helped with my spiritual life so much. I’ve grown and learned so much since starting this and I’m learning every day.

                I have been so blessed down here by awesome people I’ve been around. I’ve also got to see where I’m gifted and an awesome chance to just listen to God in the hunger and starvation. I love this because I have discovered what it is I want to do. I want to do ministry full time and make a life out of it.

                I was doing my quiet time this morning like every morning reading through the story of Samuel and felt a strong urge to stop and just be still, so I did. I was sitting in kudu doing my study listening to the Bethel Live CD and was just being still. I’m listening to this CD and these people in the crowd are just screaming their hearts out to Jesus and hearts are being moved. The spirit is moving and people are changing. I suddenly had a very strong pressing on my heart that THAT is what I am supposed to do with my life. I believe that I am called to do great things for the kingdom. I believe that I am called to do ministry by either leading or just playing worship. Whether that’s traveling or staying in one place is up to God and something that I’m looking forward to finding out.

                I have not been doing well financially at all lately because of the volume of my job. It does not pay well and business is awful lately. I’m honestly struggling a ton lately with lots of things but I will always remain strong through the love of Jesus. I will always fall back on the love and grace of God.

                I have been praying most of all for deliverance from my job now and for God to open doors for me. I would appreciate prayers and also, I would love to know how to pray for you as well.

Grace and Peace,

Drew

            I get up at about 8 every morning and look forward to it very much. It’s my time where I get to read the word and talk to Jesus. I look forward to getting up and doing that every day. I have learned so much in the past four months and I have also learned so much about how other people are and I now know what I’m gifted in other than music. It’s been fantastic being down in Charleston.

            After I do my quiet time, I usually go to work. This is the part in my day where I’ve been constantly praying for deliverance from. I hate my job and there is very few things to me that are worse. I have been blessed so indescribably by the opportunities that my job has provided since being down here. Some income to pay bills and a chance to meet great people as well as giant leaps for the kingdom (even if they set me back personally). Sometimes we have to make sacrifices so the kingdom can move forward. I want a way out and I’ve been praying for open doors and that God would provide opportunities in what I believe I’m called to do. I know I have been called to do ministry full time and not only do I know it, I believe it.

            I believe there is a reason that I have been in a “dry spot” in ministry lately and also one of the reasons I was called to Charleston in the first place. In Charlotte I took ministry for granted and I took the blessings that I got daily for granted. I had the opportunity to hang out with the most awesome people and had the opportunity to do what I love every week at church. The worst part is, it became a “job” to me. I could not see the blessing because of my attitude towards it. I get slapped in the face (like I always do) when I moved down here to Charleston. I love getting slapped in the face because it’s always such a huuuuuge learning experience. God provided for me over and over and over and I saw it as a burden or a job. God removed me from that place because he will not be taken advantage of and I thank him every day for this learning experience.

            I pray every day now for opportunities where I can serve because after all, that is what we are called to do as Christians. I pray that one day I will be able to serve full time and love everything about my job because I do believe that we are supposed to love serving. God will provide when he sees fit and for now, I will continue to let him move. I will continue to serve in any way I can and do my part to provide. The Lord will provide but with blessings there is also action on our part. I am struggling very much but I will never lose my excitement to see what God has in store for me. Please pray for me and that I will keep the strength of Jesus in my thoughts as I struggle with “the meantime.” Thank you and God bless.

Grace and Peace.

Mr. Phelps,

I don’t really think you understand the meaning of the subject of which you speak. I think that you are on the level of a demon. A deceiver. A manipulator. I don’t think that you should be given the name of a pastor. I think you should be given the name of Satan.

            For those of you that do not know, Fred Phelps is the executive pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. You might formally know this as the “God Hates Fags” church. Well, I wouldn’t call them a church. I would refer to it more as a gathering of mentally insane persons. Let me start by explaining where the term “fags” comes from. It is short for the word “faggot” which means “a bundle of sticks.” In the inquisition of Europe, when witches were being burned, gay men were also sought out to be burned alive. The people didn’t see gay men to be even fit to be burned alive alongside the witches because of their ways, so they would either wait to burn them with the sticks they burned the witches with or use them to keep the fire going to continue burning witches; so first off, the term “fags” is against any kind of “truth” of Jesus Christ that you “preach.”

I want you to know that you have no concept of grace, mercy, righteousness, holiness, shamelessness, purification, sanctification, or salvation that Jesus showed to EVERY living thing. Basically, everything Jesus stood for in the first place. I want you to know that you are targeting a selective people because there is scripture that says that it is wrong. I want you to know that God has not, will not, and will never give you a calling or permission to target these people with the message of hell. I don’t know if you know, but God loves these people, not only because they are people, but because they are HIS people made in the image of Him. How dare you throw scripture around in the face of your maker who does not agree. You inspire nothing but hate and sinful nature. That is everything our Lord is against. Where is your grace? Where is your mercy? Did Jesus not die for the sins of mankind? Let me ask you this. Did Jesus not die for you? As far as I’m concerned, you’re a sinner too because you are included in mankind’s name, therefore, in your eyes you are just as “awful” as a homosexual. Jesus is not coming to condemn, but to save, fleshly boy. In the bible (the thing in which you teach out of supposedly) there are 393 verses that talk about love. There are less than 10 that talk about the sin of homosexuality. Oh and also, NONE of them mention that someone is eternally damned because of it.

            There is a quote from a member (and son of Mr. Phelps) of WBC that says “the goal is to put the cup of God’s fury to the lips of this nation and make them drink.” Since when is it our job to carry out the fury of God?

I, Mr. Phelps, challenge you to read your bible and truly accept the LOVING power of Jesus Christ. I would love to talk to you personally and I’m very serious. If you ever read this, I would love to simply chat with you and talk about what Jesus means to you personally. I also want you to know that I do not judge you, nor hate you. In fact, I hope that you know that as a human being, I love you and as much as I don’t want to, I have nothing but love and hope for you in my heart.

In Christ’s love

With grace and peace,

Drew Jordan

Hey government.

Hey boss.

Hey broken people.

Hey hopeless person.

Hey believer.

Hey atheist.

Hey followers.

Hey leaders.

Hey rich people.

Hey homeless person.

Hey musicians.

Hey pastors.

Hey heartless.

Hey helpless.

Hey worshipers.

Hey saved.

Hey lost.

Hey hurting.

Hey selfish.

Hey selfless.

Hey confused.

Hey misguided.

Hey friends.

Hey enemies.

Hey recovering alcoholic.

Hey straight edge kid.

Hey cocaine user.

Hey drinker.

Hey pitiful.

Hey scared.

Hey hungry.

Hey thirsty.

Hey sick.

Hey well.

Hey fun people.

Hey excited.

Hey sleepy.

Hey weary.

Hey tired of life.

Hey excited for life.

Hey bleeding.

Hey never escaped.

Hey person running.

Hey procrastinator.

Hey sweet girl.

Hey magician.

Hey smart.

Hey educated.

Hey listener.

Hey talker.

Hey planner.

Hey bitter.

Hey manipulator.

Hey deceiver.

Hey pulling someone down.

Hey wicked.

Hey hater.

Hey lover.

Hey fighter.

Hey fighting.

Hey dying.

Hey healing.

Hey righteous.

Hey attempted suicide.

Hey self. 

……………………………………………………

You are loved.