"The Fellowship of the Unashamed"

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace
is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander
in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until
Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes. And when He comes to get
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.

I am not ashamed of the gospel . . . Romans 1:16

God has been really speaking to me a lot through this letter. If you have just read this I even recommend that you read it again sometime, maybe print it out and post it in your room. I was told by Brandon that a 15 year old kid wrote this and shortly after that he was martyred for his Faith in Jesus Christ. Every time I read this I think about my life with God and what I am doing to live out my Faith. I love reading this because it Fires me up for God. It makes me look from a heavenly lens into what I do everyday and it puts me in check of what I am doing. I love it! I thank God for this kids boldness, it is one that we can all learn from. I pray that someday I will be able to stand that way and walk that way with God the way this 15 year old kid did. He has his eyes set on the right prize!

Even when I read this right now it makes me think about having revelation of the Cross. If any of you have ever had a revelation of the Cross then you know how powerful it is what i am talking about. I was having worship one night in the prayer room with a couple of people, we had an i pod and speakers so that was our worship. And as I was sitting there I started thinking about Jesus and what he did for our sins. And you know what, God really spoke to me in that instant. It wasn't like this audible voice that out looked the speakers or anything but it was more a chain of ideas in my mind that played out like a movie. I thought about my Sin... all the things that I have done today and in the past that were hideous in Gods eyes. And I think about the Cross, where Jesus Christ came in my place. First of all He left Heaven his home for us. Imagine that difference. We cry when we have cold water overseas and spicy food that makes us poop a lot. Yes it is true when we travel across the world for others sake and for God we have struggles. But imagine Jesus sitting in Heaven telling the father I want to go there and be one of them. He left his home in heaven and came to a screwed up world FOR US! we didn't have to ask him to come, he came. Even before we knew it he was here for us. so now it is like this. While i was still yet a sinner he died for me. Even when I hated God when I never praised him or gave him Glory for anything he died for me. I basically spat in his face everyday that I was living for myself and he still beared the cross for me. What kind of Love is that? someone please answer me that. Who does that!!!!!! im serious it blows my mind. When I say the statement "There is None Like HIM" it gives me goose bumps because of how he loves us. Who is this God who Gave his ONLY son for us. Let me tell you who he is. He is the Alpha the Omega, the beginning and the end. He breathes stars into creation. He spoke the world into motion. He Died on a cross for me and he gave me LIFE TO THE FULLEST. He has given me a new heart, one that hears his voice and hates what he hates and one that loves what he loves. And there is none like him. And we all need to see who he is right now today, in our lives and we need to look back on our past and see who he was then and how he was there in our lives even when we didn't want him to be. I have to say . I look at the world and how it hurts and crys and is alone. and I think about the fact of people not having God. Not having a savior. I see people struggling and lost and miserable and I think, How can they go through this without God. How do they live this lifestyle and not have Jesus as an immovable Pillar to lean on. It breaks my heart.
- Nick Triola

I AM HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

"Eternal God, this holy night is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light. May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds. May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem this night fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do. May we share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity. Amen. "

-Rev. Richard J. Fairchild

It is so nice to be home. I have a cold from the weather change and am still on Hawaii Time. That means I am 5 hours behind on our schedule, I am staying up late and sleeping in like crazy. I am thinking by the time I get used to our time zone I will be ready to go back to Honolulu.
Since being back it has been so nice to see everyone, it's really refreshing t0 be here especially for the Christmas holiday. I am so excited to get caught up with everyone. I feel like I just got done with something so big and so exciting out in Honolulu. For this time I have at home I want to rest in Gods presence and spend time with him as much as possible and really just get rested up and recharged I guess you could say. This time spent at home is not only for resting and visiting. Someone at our base gave all the Leaders a word the day before we left and it was not to forget about God while at home. It is going to be so easy for you guys to go home and just get caught up relaxing and visiting and just taking time off. Well do not forget about the Lord. You need to spend more time with God than the people around you. So that is exactly what I want to do, Rest in him, rely on him and seek him and get all prayed up and rested up and ready to go for the January school.
One thing that I love about YWAM is the opportunity you have with God. The sky is the limit and if you have an idea, YWAM is a great place to put it into action. But anyways I love Discipleship, there are so many different aspects of it and I think that's why it is so much fun. It's a challenge too and that is also why I love it! Because when you are a leader, everything you do and say represents who you are, so when you love God and he is a priority in your life everyone else sees that and knows what kind of person you are. But at the same time when you are slipping and not spending time with God, people also see that. So for me it is a challenge to constantly be pursuing God A. because I should be anyways and B. because as a leader you have to be setting the pace.

Anyways, It is so good to be home, I am so blessed by everyone here in Hartville I love it. This will be an awesome time of friends and family and God and cookies and pie and treats and good home cooked food!