Posted by Dominic
Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:31:00 GMT
I’m sitting in a giant aluminum tube, chasing through the sky at 600 miles an hour, and it feels right.
It’s peaceful, around me people are sleeping, a few seat-back screens are showing a random selection of movies, and it is as if this, right here, right now, is what it’s all about.
Being surrounded by orthodox Jews, although a first in experience, seems as natural as if they’d been there every day of my life. This is but one of many things I was about to experience on this trip over the next 13 days.
It all started the night before - I was returning a dog I’d been sitting, when I was overcome with despair. I don’t know what was the cause, but all I wanted to do at the time, was to NOT GO.
You read me right: I wanted to stay home. Ignoring the cost, and not to mention the trip of a lifetime. It was all disposable at that exact moment.
Surely that’s crazy talk, right? Well, such is the power of spiritual warfare at it’s best. After texting for prayers, and spending some quality time praying, I dropped off Mr. Darcy and went home to finish packing.
I don’t remember much of the 3am wake-up, getting to the airport, or the flight to Newark. Except the Crazyness of the Sassone’s side-trip to Houston to renew Heather’s passport. You see, your passport has to be valid at least 6 months after the return from visiting Israel or you can’t go, and Heather’s passport expired in March. I’m inclined to allow them to tell the story of that adventure… but they did get to Tel Aviv.
On the topic of passports, though - the Sassone’s weren’t the only ones with passport trouble. Amanda also managed to lose hers on the flight to Newark, which causes trouble continuing international travel as you can imagine. I think I spy a passport-telling story in the future after all….
… so there I am, 36000 feet up in the air, and feeling very much at peace. As I’d be told several days later, I am going “home” after all. And as you’ll see, it wasn’t until a while later that I realized this.
(More photos can be seen here)
Posted in God, Travelling | Tags 2009, israel | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Dominic
Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:51:00 GMT
I realize this is somewhat belated, as the 4th of July has come and gone several months ago, but I just now have gotten around to finish processing the photos from the last three months….
Fireworks.
More fireworks.
The Grand Finale.
Posted in Photography | Tags 2009, 4th, fireworks, july | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Dominic
Tue, 26 May 2009 03:49:00 GMT
So I’m in Baltimore attending the NEXT conference - and listening to the speaker tonight, I was having the hardest time focusing on what he was teaching.
Then I started reviewing my notes, and boy, how I was twisting what he was saying when I was trying to write it down…. It didn’t make any sense.
Then my brain started playing tricks on me, and I was having these really weird emotionally self-destructive thoughts (for those not familiar with my newfound (thanks to therapy (and yes, I’m nesting parenthesizes)) self-examination and realizations, no — I’m not talking suicide or anything else, just… sometimes you start thinking of things and it goes downhill from there)….
And it occurred to me, it was time to pray.
I spent a good amount of time praying — in fact, I probably missed almost half of his teaching. But sometimes that’s just how things work out.
Later, as I’m sitting in my room finding the boarding pass information online, I overheard one of my roommates and his friends discussing how they felt disconnected during the session — just like I had. For one of them it was so strong that he ended up leaving, just to end up being ministered to by God outside showing him the falseness of his thoughts.
The moral of the story:
Do NOT underestimate the power of spiritual warfare, especially if you are in a room with some-3000 other Christians worshiping God at a conference that is being blanketed in prayer.
Sometimes Satan strikes when we think we are at our strongest….
Posted in God | Tags 2009, conference, next, spiritual, thisisnext, warfare | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Dominic
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:54:00 GMT
Too often Jesus fades into the background of our busy lives.
But He hasn’t changed. And He invites us to meet Him again.
This is the “catch phrase” for this year’s NEXT Conference.
I do not know why, but the three sentences immediately resonated with me. It is a problem I struggle with every day. I always said “Oh, I make time for the things that matter” - which is often the case, but not always the case for God.
I have been praying the last 9+ moths that God would show me when he’s trying to tell me something. I think this was one of those moments - amidst struggles for how to pay off debt AND save money for my Israel trip, he told me “Oh, btw… you should go to this. YOU SHOULD GO TO THIS.”
Okay, God. I’ll go. You’ll take care of the rest. Money? Somehow. Vacation? Okay.
And so I registered. God is awesome, and I can’t wait to see what happens.
If you are curious about the speakers this year, one of the NEXT people went and tracked down the easter messages of the speakers this year:
Joshua Harris
The Resurrection and the Life
John 11:1-44
Sinclair Ferguson
Does the Resurrection Really Matter
1 Corinthians 15:1-20
D.A. Carson
Why Doubt the Resurrection - VIDEO
Why Doubt the Resurrection - AUDIO
John 20:24-31
Kevin DeYoung
Worthy Is The Scapegoat
Lev 16
C.J. Mahaney
Death Swallowed Up In Victory
1 Corinthians 15:17
I look forward to going - to seeing God work in my life.
I’m giddy for God.
Posted in God | Tags 2009, conference, next, thisisnext | no comments | no trackbacks
