Sooooo Tired!

The last night of DYC I stayed up REALLY late. I was working on a video that I wished I had done before DYC even started. It was a song I had recorded doing just my voice and mouth. It was inspired by Mike Tompkins and his version of Dynamite. (video to come next week or so. I want to touch it up a little) Anyhow, I was up super late and got up early too.

When the event was all over we started packing up all the stuff...it's a lot! Mike kept telling me I was needed by different people. You see, he knew that I had a torn rotator cuff and that I needed to not lift things like I was. After we ate lunch I finally listened to Mike and went into the suite where all our staff ate our meals. I laid down on the bed for just a moment to rest.

As it turns out I was REALLY tired and fell right to sleep. Next thing I know there are screams and about 8 people or so jumping on the bed. I sat up and had absolutely no idea where I was, what day it was or what was going on. I was sooo gone it took me a bit to figure things out. Check out the video.



Have you ever been so tired that when you woke up you literally didn't know where you were? I have had that several times when I have traveled, but it has been a while.

Being Prayed For

This past weekend we had our biggest youth event of the year. It was a pretty awesome weekend. The themes was "Consumed" based on Deuteronomy 4:24 which says, "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." The whole concept is that God loves us so deeply and desires our love back. When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, he replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). 


We had four speakers throughout the weekend. Ronnie Harris, one of our youth pastors and former NFL player, spoke on loving God with all your heart. Amanda Holste, who attends one of our churches in Oregon, spoke on loving God with all your soul. John Stumbo, my former senior pastor, spoke on loving God with all your mind. John Chang, a church planter, spoke on loving your neighbor as yourself. They all did a fantastic job. 


Sunday morning, John Coats and I lead a prayer service. I did not expect it. It was pretty amazing. I had shared that one way you can pray for someone is to visualize God's best for them. God knows our thoughts and can see what we are thinking. It was something my friend Morris had shared with me years ago. Well, near the end of the service, Jeff Brown came over to me and said that his wife Kara had come over to him and said, "When Erik said that I pictured him and Jeanne-Ann with their 2 kids from Ethiopia." He said, "Me too." They felt like they should have everyone pray. I am not someone to get in God's way, so they did. 

Jeff got up in front of everyone and shared a piece of my story and asked people to come around me and pray. He also asked if Jeanne-Ann was in there. I never saw her. It turns out that when Jeff said her name she was walking past the doors to the meeting room and heard her name called. She came in and got about 20 feet from where I was. People got around us and prayed for us. It was amazing. I was overwhelmed. They prayed we would get our call for our referral soon. I had to give announcements after and was blubbering my way through them. That part was actually pretty funny.


I am so thankful for people who listen to God and for your prayers. Thank you!

My New Ethiopian/American Friend

Last night I spoke at a church youth group in Ellensburg, Washington. During my message I talked a little bit about my family (my wife, 2 kids and the 2 kids on the way) and afterward a girl walked up to me and introduced herself as Nareet. She is a high school girl who was adopted from Ethiopia when she was a baby. She was so excited to hear about our adoption and wanted to let me know.

She also had a story to tell me. She was at DYC (our high school conference that we run in February) and went through the Firestarters room. (pause for explanation) This is a room we set up to allow people to go through and gain some world perspectives on issues that affect us at home and around the world. As you walk into the room you pick up a card that explains the journey through the "hallways" of the room. The room is filled with piles of rice. Each pile has a card explaining what it represents. (ie. The amount of people who eat at McDonald's around the world every day with 1 grain of rice representing 10 people, then there would be a pile that said The amount of people who go without food everyday.) As she walked through the room she was struck with all the different social issues that were represented, but most struck with the amount of people who die from AIDS every day. To the best of her knowledge, her birth parents died of AIDS. Then she walked over to the giant 20 foot x 30 foot map of the world where she took a sticker of a flame and placed in on Ethiopia as her reminder to pray for the people there. As she was praying she realized her need for Jesus in her life and she confessed sin in her life and invited Jesus to be part of her life. (if you are not a church going person I know this may sound weird, but I would love for you to read more about it...check out this site BillyGraham.org I would also be happy to talk to you about it if you like. I love to have that conversation.

Anyhow, I was super thrilled to hear her story. One of my struggles in originally being open to a conversation with Jeanne-Ann about adoption is having seen so many teenagers who have been adopted go through real identity issues in their teen years. (lots of anger and rebellion). It is good to see an adopted girl who is excited about life, Jesus and her family as a teenager!

DYC Fun

Just a little messing around with sprout builder. Click the share button and drop it on ur facebook/myspace/blog, etc.

What a weekend!

DYC is over. This is a high school conference held at the Red Lion in Portland. We had great weather and our largest group ever! I want to give you a few snapshots.

- There were almost 800 of us there.

- Josh Mann did four messages that "cryptically" hit the four fold Gospel our denomination (C&MA) is founded on. Christ the Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. He used different terminology. Jesus our Redeemer, Refiner, Restorer and Returner. He knocked it out of the park!

- One of those sessions, Sunday night, was on healing. Josh invited a couple of elders from our church to me up and lead a team of people to pray for anyone who might come forward. When Josh was done, we went for 1 1/2 hours. Logan Martin and band played and the team prayed and students came forward in mass.

There were some amazing stories from that night. I want to share 2. The first: A high school guy felt God was calling him to go forward for some healing from a personal life struggle and was so nervous he decided to go to the bathroom. When he was in there he saw a paper that said "Talk to Erik w/a "k"." He went in to look for me but couldn't find me. Then he turned around and there I was. It was powerful.

Second: Josh was getting to the James 5:17 passage where it talks about healing and having the elders anoint the sick with oil. Somehow he knew that they had forgotten to bring any oil and was tempted to skip that part. Jeff, one of the elders, looked at Craig, the other elder and said, Do you think God could provide us with oil between here and the stage?" Well, they went up and sat down. As they were sitting there a lady walked up and looked at one guy then turned to Jeff, not knowing he was one of the elders, and said, "I think you are supposed to have this." It was anointing oil. After Jeff asked her how she came to have the oil. She got it at a conference a year ago and it has been sitting on her dresser all year long. Then she thought God was telling her to put it in her purse this week and that she was supposed to give it to Jeff. Crazy! Yes, that is God at work!

Oh, it may be that my friend's broken wrist was healed too!

- Over 400 went out and did service projects all over Portland and Vancouver.

- Monday morning there were a ton of students who went forward to commit to serving God in full-time missions, if that is what God would have for them. We also had an offering that went toward a text book project in Burkina Faso, West Africa. They had asked for $5,000. I did not think we would raise anything even close to that. The most we have ever raised was about $3,000 and last year was just under $2,000. I did think that we would be able raise enough to buy some books, so I thought it would be a good project. Well, this amazing group of students raised $5,100.81 plus a ring, 3 necklaces, 4 gift cards and 2 ipods! WOW!!! I was blown away! I have such little faith.

- Trace Bundy played 1 song Saturday night and 15 minutes on Sunday night during the session and then had a concert Sunday night. He is an absolutely amazing guitar player! Check him out at www.tracebundy.com

- Logan Martin brought his team and lead us in worship. Logan has an amazing ability to "roll with it" when things go different than was planned. He has an amazing voice and is awesome on the guitar. Students love his leading. He also introduced us to to something called Mocha Club. This is where you can give $7 a month. He is going to take the money everyone who gives at DYC and it will all go to to build an orphanage. www.myspace.com/loganmartin and www.mochaclub.org/join/5078/3 is where you can join in under Logan's efforts.

- Scott Erickson came and painted Saturday and Sunday nights during the evening sessions. He painted during the music and the message. At first I thought it would be a bit distracting, but it fit so seamlessly with the whole night. You can check out some of Scott's artwork at www.thetranspireproject.com

- I am truly pumped about this past weekend. It was actually a highlight that I heard no problems from the hotel staff. I walked up to the desk a lot during the weekend and just built relationships with each of the team there.

- Our fun night, Sunday, was filled with the Trace Bundy concert, inflateables, students learned how to do the Virginia Real and some break dancing. Of course there was the Labyrinth.

- Saturday night was our annual 4 vs. 4 basketball tournament and Portland Chinese Church youth ministry won. It was awesome! I was on a team from Salem Alliance and we made it to the final 4. We lost to the team that won, so that felt pretty good.

What a weekend!

24 unplugged! DYC is almost here.

With about 24 hours or so until DYC (our high school conference in Portland) starts I am getting so pumped up! There are still a few things left to do, but overall we are good to go.

I also got some very good news today and some very sad news today. The good news...the strike is over. April and May will be fun months for my itchy TV viewing needs. The bad news...no 24 till January 2009!!!! ARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

(breath...take a moment...breath again...)

For you youth ministry types out there next weekend is the Group Conference in Cincinnati. I will be blogging through out the weekend there about what is going on. Along with a team of bloggers it will almost feel like you are there.

You can catch what is going on at DYC on our DYC blog at www.dyc2008.blogspot.com or catch the link from pnwdyc.com.

oops, almost forgot to breath...