When someone hurts you or cuts you down to your face or in front of others how do you deal with it? I see there being 3 options:

Option 1 is to ignore it and move on.

Option 2 is to deal with it and talk directly to the person who hurt you.

Option 3 is to rip that person a new one by talking about him/her to others so that you can vent your hurts and feelings out loud, but not really deal with the situation.

Sadly, have seen more people take option 3 than option 1 or 2. It is hard to take option 1, so I don’t see many people taking that, including myself. Option 2 is also hard as it is vulnerable and faces the situation head on so I don’t see many people taking that option either. Sadly option 3, although it is the cowardly way to go many people take it cause it makes them feel better and gives them room to vent.

I see option 3 as being cowardly, sinful, wimpy and in no way loving to anyone. If you have a problem with someone (and I am speaking to myself here too) talk to them about it. I get so furious when I see someone being nice to a persons face and then cutting them down as soon as they leave the room. Who has the problem here? I believe it is the coward who doesn’t have the courage or integrity to tell the person they have problems with exactly how they feel.

If you have a problem with someone just tell them, and if you are to scared to tell them then just forgive them, walk away from the situation and love them. I am a follower of Jesus. All throughout Jesus life I see him directly dealing with the people who he had problems with. Do you know why? Because He loved them and because it was the loving thing to do. He wasn’t into gossip, He was into redemption. When we talk about people behind their backs it doesn’t lead to redemption, it leads to pride and bitterness. There is no healing or love that comes out of pride and bitterness, just ugliness and hate.

My challenge to you and to me is to seek healing and redemption in your relationships by talking. Not by talking about the person who hurt you, but by talking to the person who hurt you. I can almost guarantee you that healing will happen, and if not then I will give you a dollar.

We are three weeks into the Justice and Worship tour, so I thought it would be a good time to update you on how things are going with some stories and some pictures. We have had 9 events, all in the first 18 day’s. These past 3 day’s have been spent recouping, getting caught up and fixing trucks and trailers (we have had some issues). Tomorrow we head up to Eureka, CA and then into Oregon, where we are hosted by the Salem International House of Prayer. I am very excited about that gig for sure as we are working with IHOP and also sharing the evening with YWAM Emerge.

Here are some highlights of our time. We have gotten to hang out with good friends like Will Barrow with YWAM Pismo Beach, Chris Whitler with YWAM Modesto, Joel in Simi Valley and many others. It has been fun serving and ministering at our friends churches and YWAM campuses for sure. Other highlights have been seeing the response on the MyNextStepIs site from the students and leaders at the events.  People have been putting down some real things that they want to do in regards to doing justice. It is encouraging for sure.

It has also been great spending time with Chris and Jenna. We are getting to know them a ton on this trip, there are no secrets I can tell you that. I think that has been the best part for me, but also the most challenging. Since I am living my life in public and in community there is no hiding who I am. I have seen myself as a selfish friend, husband and father and feel that God is calling me to change. Man, it has been humbling and scary, but I am becoming one who is quick to apologize and quick to work things out with those I am sharing my life with.

I feel like I have been on this tour for a lifetime, some day’s are good and some are not so good. But, I wouldn’t change it for the world, I love what I get to do and am honored to be a part of it.

Some other little things that are worth mentioning as I live on the road in a travel trailer are as follows:

- drinking my dark beer out of a liquid measuring cup as I forgot all my pint glasses in storage                                 – taking the quickest showers known to man as we don’t have a dumping stations at all our sites for water          - standing in the laundry room with sweats and no shirt cause all my cloths are dirty                                                 – running out of propane in the middle of cooking/showering/cooking as it runs it all                                                 – towing my 31 foot home up the west coast, which is nice cause If I need a coke it is right behind me.

this is one of the things I have been up to this week. Good times and scary ones too