John ends his gospel revealing the poetic redemption of the world. It was in a garden that man and woman sinned against the Father. Death was birthed for the first time here. It makes sense then that death would have its last stand where it all began, in a garden. In the tomb, the Son of God would be resurrected once and for all conquering death and birthing resurrection and life.

Also in a poetic manner, Eve birthed the rebellion with the act of deception she fell prey to in the Garden. The name Mary (Hebrew transliteration Marian) which literally means “Their rebellion” carries the redemptive seed of Salvation, Jesus (The name literally means “The God who Saves”). God choses a woman named Mary to carry the redemption of the world. Mary had a choice to accept or reject the message of the Angel. She could either continue the rebellion or carry the seed of the Tree of Life in her. She humbly lifts up her praise and magnification signaling her belief and obedience in God. (LUKE 1:26-55)

Then, in the garden at the tomb of Jesus, another Mary, Mary Magdalene, becomes the first proclaimer of the Redemption and resurrection of Jesus. God choses the first person to see the resurrection and life to be a woman named Mary “their rebellion” redeeming the act of rebellion in the Garden.

Eve believed in the deception and ate of the Tree that produced death she spread the seeds of death to man (Genesis 3:12), but Mary believed the Humble Gardener of Truth (John 20:15), Jesus, and in so was able to produce some of the first seeds of the tree that produces life (John 20:17-18).

What a God we serve who continues to reveal the depths of his grace in poetic redemption! I think there is much much more surrounding the rebellion in Genesis and the out-workings of redemption through Jesus. This is just a foretaste :)

Is it a place where people can do anything they want, whenever they want? Sounds like freedom at first glance, right?

I remember when I would spend the night at a friend’s house when I was growing up, they would have more apparent freedom. I was able to have tons of candy and soda! FREEDOMMMMM….30 minutes later…stomach ache :( Back then, I probably didn’t see the benefit of my loving parents not giving me candy every time my heart desired it. (Thanks mom and dad) It was a guideline for my own good!

Inside of freedom, you could say “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. (summarizing 1st letter to Corinthians ch6 vs12)

So then, freedom includes all things being lawful. We CAN do anything, so why shouldn’t we submit to the desires of our passions? In the letter to the Romans chapter 6, talks about this very thing. We are a slave to the one/thing we obey. If we are a slave to our own consumption of pleasurable things, it will consume us and literally cause death to our soul as well as our body over time. The plan of satan is to KILL you. Our little sins are gateways on a path to bondage which ultimately lead to death. Even believing little lies, prevent us from walking in the fullness of what God has for us.

What are we to be slaves of then? If we have to choose one thing to be a slave of it should be something that brings us life to the full. Life in freedom. The only option for freedom is to be a slave to God.

Freedom in being a slave? This makes no sense at all does it. Welcome to the paradox of the kingdom of God. I started dwelling and meditating on this and realized that freedom is actually found when there are no deterrents or malfunctions in original design. A car can only perform inside of its limitations. If it goes beyond that it breaks down or becomes unsafe. The creator of the car knows exactly the limitations to prevent breakdown and safety. We were created in the likeness of God: HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, LOVING, JOYFUL etc. These things then define and unlock our true freedom. How we were created to be is where freedom lies.

How is this freedom obtained? “It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free!” (Letter to the Galatians ch5 vs1, emphasis mine). “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” (2nd Letter to the Corinthians ch3 vs17). Freedom is found in Jesus. When we submit to our creator, we have true freedom. His spirit knows us even better than we do and has the operating manual to our life. Some things he created us for: His own enjoyment, to be fruitful and multiply (in all Godly ways), to be sons and daughters of Him, for the sake of true freedom, co-heirs to the Kingdom, ministers of reconciliation (Freedom), to enter in to the Father’s divine rest, and probably many more awesome reasons.

Jesus bring freedom to us! Show us who were created to be. Show us areas where we are still submitting to the counterfeit master. Bring us life to the full. amen

I’ve been on a journey of revelation about community over the past few years. It was never something I thought about at all before I really entered a different type of community and witnessed different communities around the world in India, Taiwan and Europe. I immediately saw that much of the world values community much more than Americans. Not only this, but they welcomed brand new friends into their community so readily. I think much of this value is lost in my homeland amidst the fight for individualism and self-reliance and frankly, pride. Don’t get me wrong, there are pockets of community still thriving where community is a core value in America. I actually see an uprising of thought and experiments on community living that really excite me coming from America.

I actually just came back from the AWAKEN gathering that is one experiment/organization on how to live out a community anywhere in the world centered around God and fulfill His purposes for man. I’m also on staff for the Awaken DTS where last year, something unique happened. We hit a deeper place of community. It was actually almost by accident. We just gathered together around God, specifically to seek him and get to know our new staff and it blew up! (in the best way possible) During the DTS people kept commenting on something being different about the DTS, there was a new unity and a family feel. The next year, all of us came back except for a few (which is rare in a DTS). We finally started realizing and examining what was happening and looking to the bible for more revelation on what God was doing.

As I write this, I feel the Lord’s heart to see restoration in community to how he views it. It is actually our role as believers to fulfill restoration according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:18). We are ministers of Reconciliation as modeled out by the reconciler Jesus Christ who reconciled man with God through his life, death, and resurrection. We are to bring others into reconciliation by the proclamation of this Good News (Gospel). Jesus actually says unity in the body shows non-followers that we are followers of Jesus.

As I said earlier family has been hugely attacked by the enemy. Divorce is out of control in America and not just outside the church! Inside the church it is the same statistic! Not only that, the body of christ is split into fragments of denominations caused by differences in doctrine. Why? I believe it comes down to an understanding community and how God views it.

Community is misrepresented and broken on earth because of the original sin in the garden that broke communion with God. Now through the work of Jesus, we can have community with God and godly community with each other. I want to reveal biblical community as much as God gives me revelation on it because I want to see these crazy statistics drop! The more I read the bible, the more I see just how much God valued healthy community. Jesus cultivated and served his community and gave his life for them. The first experience of the Holy Spirit came when all the believers were of one accord ie IN UNITY! The result was revival. There is something powerful that happens when we gather together around God with one unity. It’s where the Spirit dwells, dreams are birthed, vision is developed, relationships are restored, lies are exposed, and the enemy flees from the powerful body of Christ. All mankind craves community with God and man. Its a yearning in everyone’s heart to be accepted, safe, loved. We believers are to model out how our God dwells and when we do we will be a witness to non-believers. Jesus said it this way, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I pray for unity in the body of Christ so that we may be a pure and spotless community for our Lord and fulfill his purposes on earth!

I will continue to write more on this topic as the Lord releases revelation on it as I feel its one of my life studies and missions to restore and create healthy community.

Eternal Life
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord – Rom 6:23

Freedom
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:1-2

Permanent Love of God
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:38-39

New Creation
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Cor 5:17

Spirit in us, Blessing of Abraham
so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Gal 3:14

Son and Daughters of God
for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Gal 3:26

Unity
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28

Provision from God
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

IN JESUS AND JESUS ALONE WE HAVE ALL THINGS GOOD

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Col 1:15-19

We hit the ground running in the DTS calling students and preparing for the DTS. Now 1 week into the DTS, as I ponder the past month, I am awestruck at how God has orchestrated it. The best way to describe this step of faith is that it was directly on to the treadmill of God. He’s already moving we just step into the flow and hold on!

Camille and I just celebrated our SEVENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY! What’s really amazing is the personal God we serve and love told someone to pay for our hotel room. Just a few weeks before, someone gave us their car to use RENT-FREE for the summer! I am starting to believe God loves to bless and pour out favor on His children :) He has already given us an immeasurable priceless eternal gift by the death and resurrection of His only Son, but he choses to continue to bless us with temporal things on occasion as well! Thank you Father!

I think 7 is a significant number as it is repeated various times in the Bible. It communicates rest and a setting in motion of the events in the past. God rested on the 7th day, but what he had created was set in motion by his command “Be Fruitful and Multiply”. I really feel God is saying this over our marriage and also that vision (set in motion from the past 7 years) will be birthed for the next 7 years of our marriage in this 7th year.

Some of you familiar with the DTS process is probably wondering where we are taking a team to! We are going to…

Spain

It has been on our hearts for awhile and we had prophecies about it as well. I think its fitting that this trip will happen in this year, because of it being our 7th year of marriage and our long (in my American instant-gratification-type patience)  waiting for the releasing from God. We have been wondering when it would happen! We ar excited because we have a diverse team of 10 (including us) with Koreans and Americans. Now that I’m “settled” expect posts weekly.

Here’s our other outreach locations:

My team is shooting a video on peace. We started interviewing people and asking them, “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of peace?” “How do you achieve peace?” and similar questions. After the first night, I realized I may not be able to fully communicate the peace that the Holy Spirit brings that I feel inside, and if I’m doing a video on it, I should have some answers! If we want authority in peace, we need to walk in the peace we talk about. With this project, we want to talk to the people we interview about the peace of God.

I decided the best thing to do is to a study on peace in the bible. In no way is it exhaustive but it might give me some language to explain the inner completeness I feel inside through the Holy Spirit.

Pursue and Seek Peace (Psalms 34:14)

To have peace you need to seek it. We learn that the Spirit of God brings peace so ultimately we need to seek God (which in Roman 5:1 it says exactly that). Also, the verse says TURN AWAY from evil and DO good. My thought is when we DO good it is going in the opposite spirit/direction of evil.

Give control of your mind to God (Romans 8:6)

Our natural minds lead to sinful nature and death, but a mind that is given over to the Spirit of God leads to life and PEACE.

Peace is in Jesus (John 16:33, 14:27)

Through faith in Jesus we receive peace through the Spirit. It’s as simple as that. He promises a different peace than the world offers—a peace of mind and heart.

Peace comes from loving God’s Commands(Psalms 119:165, Isaiah 48:18)

Its interesting because its not just obeying the commands but loving them. God placed his commands as a safe zone for us. In my life, when I am outside of God’s commands, it always creates baggage and distress!

The Deeper meaning of Peace

I’ve learned the peace from God is deeper than the traditional english definition of peace. God’s peace brings fullness, fulfillment, and favor. I’m into that peace! I also noticed how closely peace is linked to righteousness. The ultimate conclusion is that God gives us the gift of peace through the Spirit when we believe in Jesus.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord give you everlasting peace in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit! AMEN

Check out our Trailer video for SEEKING PEACE:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Follow us on our team blog: www.seekingpeacedocumentary.com

My final conclusion of the week is that we all need to be supporting Andrew York for doing this not just ONE week but the whole time plus all the other administrative tasks and campus responsibilities! He probably does the same workload as any CEO of a mega corporation but has one major difference. He lives his life centered around the presence of God and works out of a response to the love of God. Never do you see him complain, but always patient and willing to offer advice and listen! What an amazing leader we have! I’m thankful that God has led me to this DTS.

This week we also were in full swing planning for our outreach to India in September. Visas seem like a far off goal, but we are believing God will open the doors. Visas are the gateway and the enemy of course will try to block it but we are in full spiritual warfare! Jesus will open the gate.

Our team also has been praying into how God wants to use us and feel strongly that a documentary is what He has in mind. After further prayer, we all were feeling like PEACE is a great topic to cover in a land that offers a counterfeit unfulfilling peace. Check out our video intro:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Visit http://www.hansonsatywam.com/outreachproject/ for more information on our video project!

We started our Mystery Fun Night with a movie that I watched in my DTS, Finger of God. Its meant to build faith in a God that heals, does miraculous signs and wonders and is moving around the world. The whole time during the movie I was feeling this impression of a struggle in the room. I think it was many of the students wrestling whether what they saw was real or not as the documentary showed people having “gold dust” on them, healings, and other miraculous things.

One student came to me after the whole night and said he was mocking it in his head but prayed to God that if it is real that he would reveal it to him. That’s just what God did.

After the movie, we tried to get on with showing outreach locations as all of us staff were super excited to show the students. I about hit play on the movie but had to make a change. Just then I saw people enclosing around Chris and Shalom, our married couple. I pretty much ran over because at this point people were shouting, gasping and everything in between. What I saw was Chris sitting in shock with tears streaming down his face. I looked at his body and it was COVERED with what I guess can only be called “gold dust” but it looked more like glitter to me.

We asked him to get up and speak about what happened and he said he saw a little gold dust even before the movie but played it off. By the end of the movie, he was covered and couldn’t deny this was from God.

We were all stunned, some of us trying to rationalize it by looking around for where they could have rubbed against a place, some of us laughing and clapping because that’s all we could formulate into a response. Andrew, our leader, got on the mic and just kept saying, “I don’t know what to do with this, I just don’t know” A thought had popped into my head that maybe, just maybe this was a step to build faith so I made a suggestion to ask if anyone needed healing of any kind. Andrew announced it and students and staff started praying for Jesus to heal each other!

It turned into a session of laying on of hands and praying over all areas of sickness and injury! and, man, were the people healed! As I prayed for people about every few minutes I’d hear a shout of joy from another group and then from my group! One guy got healed from something in his back (I wasn’t praying for him so don’t know exactly what it was) and just took off running and jumping for excitement! All I know is he was free of pain. Backs healed, legs healed, colds healed. A few people were not healed (also a mystery we must trust God on).

So do YOU believe it? Its hard to fathom why God does this. Some websites I’ve seen say well its not of God, its of Satan. Satan is doing a pretty bad job of getting people to go farther away from God as we praised God well into the night. These manifestations brought us closer to God and got us more hungry and excited to read the Word and get to know more about the God who heals (Jehovah Rophi, Exodus 15:26).

Can I explain it? Nope. All I can do is continue to bring all things before God, but rejoice when He decides to do something amazing and touch His people.

I just want more of you God! The real, out of the box, raw, authentic, one and only God! Open up our eyes to your wonderful workings and mysterious ways. All glory and honor to you, my God. AMEN

Here’s what we prayed for before the formation of our team:

• a small team (We loved the closeness developed in Finland & Sweden)
• 1 worship leader

Here’s what God gave us:

• Team of 5 (plus us)
• All of them play an instrument or sing
• All of us love film and photography
• A gifted group of people that love the Lord

All we can say is thank you Lord for your goodness in answering a desire of our hearts (Psalm 37:4)!

Please pray with us as we seek His path for this outreach. We really feel God has some specific things in mind for this group and location. Also, the area has been known to cause confusion in Christians, so pray for protection of our mind and heart and discernment in all things. We will be praying for the Lord to strengthen our faith in Him.

Here is a video I created announcing the other awesome outreach locations:

Click here to view the embedded video.