Fearless in New York City

What a difference a few years can make, right?

Eight-ish years ago, I visited New York City for the first time. I worked for my university's paper as the multimedia editor at the time, and was part of the crew sent to cover the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl.

While it was exciting to go on a free trip, it was also pretty intimidating to face the so-called concrete jungle just days after a blizzard. Yes, I had people with me, but they were just as unsure of everything as I was.

It was a memorable trip, but not really in the greatest of ways. We were out trying to find our hotel until two in the morning when we had to be at the stadium at nine. We only saw Times Square and the stadium. One member of my team had become my ex in the two weeks leading up to flying to NYC. I was assigned the most annoying intern of all time, who did exactly nothing I needed him to. On top of it, we lost the game.

It was a pretty miserable trip.

I remember standing on the subway platform, so freaked out, and not just because of the giant rats. We were all so lost and scared of all these imagined threats that you hear about in big cities. It was emotionally draining and exhausting.

Flash forward to this past week.

I was pretty nervous about heading to NYC alone and worried the past would repeat itself with another miserable trip.

But this time was so different.

Over the last couple years, I've latched onto the words "fearless" and "fierce" and wore a necklace with one of them when I traveled. I mean, when you arrive at midnight, you need whatever reminder you can get.

Not gonna lie, smartphones were a major help keeping me sane, but it didn't stop me from getting pretty anxious on the subway. The first couple days, I constantly checked my phone to make sure I hadn't missed my stop. It didn't take me long to get comfortable enough to read on the ride. However, the first time I tried, I got on the train going the wrong direction. I didn't notice until I had gone all seven stops. Oops. But, instead of fully freaking out when my GPS didn't work underground I figured out a couple alternate routes and made it work. I guess all that getting lost in Germany paid off.

It struck me around the third day that I wasn't walking around in fear. I wandered without plans or any real clue of where I was heading. I walked to where I was staying alone in the dark, and it didn't freak me out like it used to. It was pretty nice.

Isaiah 43:1-2 says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

The only time I was remotely nervous was when I was walking to catch a train and saw two guys getting into a fight ahead of me. We're talking ripped-each-other's-shirts-off-body-slam-on-concrete kind of tussle. It wasn't the fight itself that put me on alert. It was after their friend got them up and moving but they were still yelling at each other. Police pulled up and the boys refused to stop. I work in news, so I've covered too many instances of problems with police and unarmed black men to not be a bit skittish with that kind of situation. However, once I got closer, the friend was able to pull the two boys aside and talk to police, while I walked by. I hope that situation turned out okay.

Were there other reasons to be afraid? Probably. But instead, I got to experience an amazing week and see some incredible sights I would have missed had I stuck with the safe plans.

Bonus: so many people I met thought I was "impressive" "brave" and "badass" for doing something like that on my own, so thanks for the confidence boost, NYC!

A Weird Winter at World Revival School of Ministry: Part One

I'm doing this a little differently. The quarterly quotes is going to come in chunks. Call it an inspiration from Rose, who as you're about to read, said, "I look at this list and I kinda don't want to read it. It's so much." That had nothing to do with the quotes, but putting six classes into one post was far too long.

So, for now, you can enjoy some of the memorable moments from the winter's Tuesday/Thursday ministry classes!


Book of Acts with Pastor Mark Pederson (PMP)

PMP: "When your passions become white hot in God, that's when you'll shake the world."

PMP: "The weakness in revival relationships is not usually a weakness in truth, but a weakness in fruit."

PMP: "People set on fire by God do not bring leftovers."

PMP: "When you believe the lie, you empower the liar."

PMP: "It takes character to pray for someone else what you want for yourself."

PMP: "Don't be afraid to tell your story. In fact, please do tell your story."

PMP: "You will find God continually dealing with your fear."

PMP: "Kingdom living begins in a place many people don't want to go. It begins with emptiness."

PMP: "Steph, are those gummies?"
Stephanie: " Yup."
PMP: "That's how I know you're close to the Lord!"

PMP: "Unrighteous anger is never satisfied."

PMP: "God doesn't come at you through your past. He comes at you through your future and pulls it into the present."

PMP: "The root of prejudice is pride."

PMP: "Anointed people are consistent."

Esther: "It's like following JD around and 'doin' the stuff.'"

PMP: "I remember stepping on a frayed extension cord. It was at night so there was a little dew on the ground. It moved me. *sings* I feel the earth move under my feet."
Caila: "Is that an old song?"

PMP: "Fear is never more prevalent than in times of revival."

Bob: "Bonus question. Why did I pick Tootsie Rolls?"
Caila: "Because you love us?"
Bob: "If I loved you, I wouldn't give you this trash!"

*Stephanie draws on Dylan's face with orange marker*
Dyaln: "No! I don't want to be Trump!"


Practical Ministry with Pastor James Koppang (PJK) and guest speakers

PJK: "Class expectations. Students are expected to attend class. Such high expectations."

PJK: "You're no longer in kindergarten; you're in big boy class now!"

PJK: "Ministry is building up the body that you've been put into."

PJK: "I don't have to look it up. I have students!"

PJK: "Pastor people toward something, not away from something."

PJK: "It's easy to dream on Instagram. It's harder to steward what you've got."

PJK: "I'm going to tell a story since I have time. Oh, wait! I'm supposed to get through four of these things?! I only got through one!"

Shelley: "Being around people of no vision will eventually steal yours."

PJK: "If I can persuade my wife to go a certain direction, I can persuade the masses. I've never had a harder sell than my wife."

PJK: "That's my natural reaction when I've upset my wife: go buy flowers or candy. It would be a little more weird if I went and did their dishes."

PJK: "I'm going to have to bite this. I can't talk with it and... I'm not that talented."

PJK: "I don't know what that's called."
A couple students: "Self-deprecating."
PJK: "Self-defecating?!"
Class: "No!!"
PJK: "I was gonna say, I don't care who you are, I'm not going that far."

PJK: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Pastor Jack Walter: (goes off on tangent about filling gas tanks) "What does this have to do with weddings? Oh! So, when you go on your honeymoon, you don't run out of gas."

Bill: "I really don't like panic. If there is a crisis and you panic in front of me, I might just shoot you to get you out of my way."

Bill: "We call [the media department] the toilet. Throw money in and flush it."

Bill: "If you take care of people, you're never going to lack for volunteers."

Belich: "For some reason, I like the interaction. I'm sorry."
Esther: "Ask Pastor James how that goes,"

Belich: (shares example and uses Mary Jane as the name)
Hunter F.: "Darn Mary Jane!"
Belich: "I'm not sure why I said Mary Jane. (pause) Isn't that a pseudonym for marijuana?!"

Belich: "Twitter is mostly younger people. Facebook is obviously every person on earth."

Belich: "Cher is the only person who comes to mind, but not her. She doesn't need the social engagement."

Hunter F.: "Man, I had to look for like 10 minutes to remove that marijuana part [from previous class' video]."
Stephanie: "It's still going in the blog."
Rose: "You can't remove it from our hearts!"

Belich: "You have to work through *sigh* and be nice."

Belich: "Now we can run them [lights] at 100 and if people get blinded, it's only temporary,"

Belich: "Mmmm! They [lights] look great."
Hunter F.: "Like a fine pasta!"
Belich: "It IS like a fine pasta!"

Belich: (class hears noise) "That was weird.
Erica: "It's the bathroom."
Belich: "Are they scratching their name in the wall? 'Aaron was here.'"

Belich: "If you don't want team participation, ask your questions now!"

Rose: "I look at this list and I kinda don't want to read it. It's so much."

Erica: "Especially if they are doing sermons, hopefully they have a scripture base."

Belich: "This is good. How do you propose implementing it?
Hunter F.: "Doing it."

Belich: "It's all nasty stuff, like two pounds of roast beef and meatballs topped with... butterscotch."

Pastor JD King: "As students and all, you need to learn things."

JDK: "We have a tendency to think of the gift of administration as licking stamps and filing papers."

JDK: "I said this wasn't going to be theology, but just this part only."

JDK: "A little weirdness, a dash of weirdness here and there, I'm like ehhh. But if you're weird all the time by definition.....,,,,,"

JDK: "Do I sound like an ugly person?"

JDK: "Community is the glue that allows deeper truth to be heard."

Bobbie King: (on administration) "Bossy. Scheduling. Money. Sounds like being a mom."

BK: (on flunking a college class) "Can you believe it? Part of it was you have to go to class. But it was a three hour night class and I had better things to do, like my fish had babies and I had to be there for her!"

BK: "In the Kingdom of God, there is no hierarchy,"

BK: "Oh gosh! I've sheltered my kid too much. She's crying at the Bible."

Caila: "Get all of this out so when Heather gets here, I can focus."
Dylan: "You'll focus anyway."
Caila: "What, are you Mr. Heather now?"

Heather: "What if she goes to the left?"
Caila: "Ahhh!"
Heather: "Isn't that your right?"

Heather: "So, what we've learned today is that Caila is not a catcher."

Heather: "Don't be weirdy-weirds."

Heather: "What if she walks in and the people who have the antidote are selfish?"

Karen DeHaven: "Every minute at church counts."

PJK: "I want to leave ample time for Q&A."
(class laughs)
Erica: "Esther told [the guest speakers] to ask you how we do Q&A."
PJK: "Yeahhhh.... He's real proud of you on that one.

PJK: "The thing about the Holy Spirit is, He doesn't leave with a bang."

PJK: "At the end of the day, pride is going to be the thing. Pride is the number one destroyer of the anointing and the Holy Spirit moving in your life."

PJK: "I found that secret in my personal life. I mean, I'm sharing it. It's not really a secret. Read your Bible."

PJK: "Teaching is a stretch for me. I'm like, we've got the five-fold for a reason!"

PJK: "I call it pucker factor. I don't know if it's a thing or not."
Caila: "I'll look it up for you."
PJK: "Uhhh.... I wouldn't."

PJK: "People that you typically want to be like don't have five hours to hang out with you. If they do, they typically aren't the type of people you want to be like."

PJK: "We should have no one who is entry level for very long."

PJK: "You have to expect success on your life. You can't accept failure as an option."

Spring Quarter 2016 at World Revival School of Ministry

Remember the days where I used to write out some wise and wild quotes at the end of a quarter of classes? The answer is probably barely, since it has been, what, a year or so since I did it. Alas, the wait is over! Summer quarter just started this week (I'm watching online since I'm in Canada at the moment!), so it seemed like as good of a time as any to bring back the Quarter Quotes. I mean, it's a lot less bloody than a Quarter Quell, right? Heehee!

I'm not separating the deep from the doozies or the silly from the spiritual, so enjoy the wild mix, completely out of context.

Covenant:

Pastor Aaron (PAL): "The thing we use our phone for the least is calling people. That's pretty funny itself."

Esther: "Yet we still call it a phone."

PAL: "It's a modern communication device."

Erica: "Woooaahhhh!"

PAL: "That's the thing in this class I'd least expect a woah from."

PAL: "Kingdom and covenant are the DNA of the Bible."

PAL: "You swore to God! Smite them!"

PAL (on Gen. 15:9-13 and heifers): "He cut them in half, but how do I know which half?! Like front and back half or inside outside half? How do I know how old it is? Are there rings in the hoof or something?"

PAL: "The vultures are the distractions."

PAL: "Is it fair to pit Moses versus Jesus? Moses, you can part the Red Sea, but Jesus is going to walk all over it."

PAL: "You don't do good works to be saved. You do good works because you are saved. That's what saved people do."

PAL: "In American culture, you fall in love then make a covenant. In Jewish culture, you make a covenant, then fall in love."

PAL: "If you feel a nudge from the Holy Spirit to do something, don't you think God will back up your faith? We disqualify ourselves, and God is just wanting us to walk in faith."

PAL: "If we didn't have the Old Covenant, how would we know how to trust Him or even who 'Him' is?"

PAL: "God always works around exclusivity."

PAL: "You don't have to throw mud on the Old covenant to make the new one look better. It's shiny enough on its own."

PAL: "You're not sitting there waiting for a Jesus 2.0 or 4s."

PAL: "Signs and wonders aren't always an affirmation of what's being taught. It's an affirmation of the person's faith."

PAL: "I think about that with Enoch sometimes. If I had 300 years on earth, maybe I'd be holy enough to walk off earth too!"

PAL: "Most of the time, we think of sin as this nebulous boogie monster, like 'ohh it's going to get me!'"

PAL: "There was no suffering... unless Adam stubbed his toe. I bet Adam stubbed his toes."

PAL: "I think it'd be fun to sit in on some dispensationalism classes."
Erica: "I'd laugh the whole time."

PAL: "You laugh through my classes all the time."

PAL: "College is the biggest ponzi scheme, but it's only for this dispensation!"

PAL: "It's an oxymoron! Kinda like country music. I just offended someone."

PAL: "Did you ever read Amelia Bedelia books?"

Class: "Yes!"

Zeke: "I only read Jane Austen books."

PAL: "Why is everyone so laid back today?"

Zeke: "We need better questions."

PAL: "The only remaining covenant we have is marriage, and that's broken. The point of covenant is to make you family."

PAL: "There is no wall on on the U.S./ Guatemala border."
Caila: "Is that where we get the word guacamole?"

Zeke: "I'll look it up!"

Janet: "You wanted class discussion..."

Isaac: "So, the point is, to make guacamole, you have to covenant the avocados."

PAL: "If love is boundary-less, it's not love."

PAL: " So we would say, if you really love the girl, you'd save the money..."

Lydia: "And buy her a ring!"

PAL: "Without the ring, is it still love?"

(Lydia shakes head no.)

Caila: "Well, how many people could've killed [Abel] anyway?"

Esther: "The suspect pool was small."

PAL: "There is power in the blood, whether you want to sing about it or not."

PAL: "Well, I guess I've seen a squirrel die because I ran over it."

PAL: "We celebrate it now and call it Good Friday, but it wasn't so good for Jesus."

Caila: "There's way too many human hands touching this word of God."

PAL: "Maybe [Lactanius] was the first one to reject dairy. He rejected the old covenant and now goat's milk isn't good enough."

PAL on the promise to Noah: "Can you imagine how many rainbows there are around the world every day?"

Caila: "Going back to that whole flood situation..."

PAL: "That's exactly how God said it to Noah! 'Noah, we've got a flood situation. Imma need you to build an ark.'"

PAL: "God has always predestined for there to be a people. The question is: are you going to choose to be a part of that group?"

Caila: "I wonder how they got the lions in the den."

PAL: "Tranquilizers." 

(Class laughs)

Isaac: "Really, you only had to get two in there."

(Caila looks confused.)

PAL: "The married person should get that."

PAL: "There is no verse in the New Testament about tithing because no one thought they were getting rid of the Old Covenant!"

PAL unmutes mic: "The demon of muteness is gone!"

PAL: "Anything that creates disunity is not of the Spirit of God."

PAL: "Whatever theological ninja skills you want to use on this to hack it up."

PAL: "These walls I could probably walk through on its own."

Janet: "Let's see it."

PAL: "If you're willing to pay for it, I'll try it. Well, maybe let's wait until after conference."

PAL on the death of Jill: "It's a loss and we're at a loss for words, so He gave us His." (holds up Bible)

PAL: "Is the stoplight meant to be binding or is it meant to be saving?"

PAL: "Enoch walked that close to God and he didn't have [the Word]. We have a cheat sheet and still can't do it!"

PAL: "Cain just killed his brother and right away, God is there talking to him."

PAL: "I hope to God I never resort to using emojis."

Kaitlynn: "What's wrong with emojis?!"

PAL: "I'm not very emotional."

PAL: "There are stories in the Bible and you're like, how did this make the cut? It's disturbing."

PAL: "Happiness is fleeting. What you should pursue is joy."

PAL: "Faith is a gift from God, but you have to open it."

PAL: "Never apologize for laughing. I should probably figure out my true laugh. Forget finding your true path, find your true laugh!"

Caila: "Baloney times 100!"

PAL: "That's a big sandwich."

PAL: "Who decided how to spell bologna. Like, I know it's supposed to be French..."

Esther: "Then why doesn't it taste better?"

PAL: "That's a good joke! I've never heard a mind-blowing fact about bologna."

PAL: "Anyone in this room who is struggling with value and self worth needs to look at [the Bible] a little more. He created you very good."

PAL: "You know how when you tell someone 'you did a good job in chapel today' and they're like, 'all glory to God!' You know, that religious answer, but it's like, 'it wasn't that good!'"

PAL: "If you understand who you are inn Him, you understand your value in Him."

PAL: "You have authority in heaven RIGHT NOW."

PAL talks about how we tend to talk to God: "How many of you would last more than a week as a friend of someone like that?"

Lydia: "Only if they're rich."

PAL: "God has a sense of humor. I mean, look at yourself!"

PAL: "The goal is not the system. The goal is who the system points to."

PAL: "God's probably like, 'Can we laugh about that now and move past it? Yeah, you were an idiot.'"

PAL: "God made us in His image to make Him proud."

PAL: "That would be a really cool resurrection if you were a Christian. Can you imagine bursting out of a tree?!"

PAL: "I used to have a talking parrot but it never said 'I'm hungry' so it died."

PAL: "God knows that some of you are going to have kids and really screw them up."

Kaitlynn: "Oh, I hope that's not me!"

PAL: "There will be seasons in your life where God will not do something for you. He'll give you the authority to do it yourself."

PAL: "One of the moments God wants to come close to you is right after you screw up."

PAL: "Today's been a good day. I haven't had a single sinful thought."

Lydia: "There's pride!"

PAL: "The enemy is the one trying to get you to look at your sin."

PAL: "When you can't say no to something, it has control over you but you tell yourself you're choosing it."

Lydia: "I wouldn't be a very good Muslim."

Esther: "You'd be a pretty good dead Muslim."

Esther: "If we are such worms, then gender shouldn't be an issue because worms are both genders."

PAL: "He made you to enter into these seasons and make the most of them... to be productive."

PAL: "Don't let the devil steal your words. There is power in your words."

Janet on puzzles: "That's self imposed torture."

PAL: "I wouldn't imagine pranking God because He probably already knows what's under the wrapping paper. But at the same time, God has a sense of humor."

Isaac: "I don't know why people are laughing at me."

PAL: "That's what your name means, bro."

(Rose laughs)

Isaac: "Did you just acknowledge a joke?"

Rose: "I acknowledge good jokes, they just don't happen very often."

PAL: "Wilderness experiences, desert experiences, battle experiences... those things you go through should deepen your faith."

PAL: "If I said my wife is hot, hopefully you all know I don't mean I'm burning her at the stake right now."

PAL: "We make the ways of God a law, but God doesn't want to do the same thing every time because then we don't have to trust Him."

PAL: "Paul's up in heaven like, 'What are you doing?! Can't you see I wrote that in sarcasm font?!'"

PAL: "Can you imagine how much the environmentalists hated Noah?"

Lydia: "It's ok. They died anyway."

Caila: "When he first started, was he fluffy?"

PAL: "Was he fluffy?! Like Winnie-the-Pooh?"

PAL: "When you look both ways before going into the street, it is literally life to you! Or at least kneecaps."

Church Marketing:

Jacob: "If you like handbags, a Coach handbag is different from a Michael Kors handbag... That's all I got."

Jacob: "Is legion involved in campus security? All 'waaahhh' at the front gate?"

Jacob: "I think perishing is something you kinda want to avoid. It kinda feels like dying. I feel like I'm perishing every four hours when I'm hungry."

Lydia: "Five years in the future? Kids are not in the picture."

Jacob: "They are for us."

Erica: "I'd hope so!"

Lydia: "It's not like they're going to go anywhere."

Jacob: "Ohh they can go somewhere..."

Jacob on bats: "It was like a mammal missile straight from hell!"

Jacob: "You're not so much afraid of God. You're afraid of what happens if God leaves."

Jacob: "We're kinda like the Red Bull of church."

Jacob: "This is between this class... and everyone streaming."

Jacob: "Who is your perfect student?"

(Isaac raises hand.)

I hope you enjoyed the randomness that comes out in class. 

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