Following David

King David was onto something. He wrote in Psalm 62:8 to trust in God at all times and pour out our heart to him because he is a refuge. We’ve got the entire book of Psalms to see David practiced this regularly. It isn’t anything fancy other than a man pouring out his heart regardless of whether it was joyful, hurting, sad, frustrated, or angry, and then landing on the goodness and nature of God in the end. I gave it a shot, and it really brings peace to fully express my heart to God in this way. Mine is below. Maybe you should give it a shot soon!

Though I start out with nothing in my heart,
Though I rise with clean slate, blank, and silent,
Though my mind stirs with its first thoughts,
You are my first discovery.
You are the One who rushes into my space.
You are the Spirit that deposits into my heart.
Without You my thoughts turn sour.
Without You my perspective diminishes.
Without You I can offer nothing to anyone.
But You have come, O Faithful One.
You have found me in my emptiness waiting to be filled.
You have come with a fresh infilling; the most essential of all things.
Thank You for knowing me.
Thank You for never overlooking me.
Thank You for always connecting deep to deep.
I cry out that You are worthy from my inmost being.
I proclaim Your goodness from the depths of my soul.
I announce Your love from the overflow of my heart.

Therefore I say, all blessing, honor, glory, power, adoration, praise, worship, and exclamation be unto Your name, Almighty King, Supreme Lord, Good Shepherd, and Slain Lamb.

-Jay Shewan
The Outpouring

Intimate Sickness

As most of you probably heard, I was wicked sick about a week ago. It brought me back to the reality of the medical realm. Outside of one night in Honduras, I had never been sick in the nations. To bring that absurd blessing into perspective, I have spent nearly three months in Mexico, a week in the Dominican Republic, a month in Tunisia, two months in Haiti, a week in Kenya, and seven months in Uganda during that healthy streak. Here’s to an even longer streak of God’s goodness to my body!

Today, I’m writing as I’m on the mend a day and a half removed from my incapacitation. I woke up this morning craving good time with the Lord, having received next to none due to my sickness the past two days. I lay in bed and flipped on a song by Kristene Mueller called Trust. Click the link to listen, though it is accompanied by a cheesy video. As the words of that song washed over me, the Lord gave me a startling revelation. I had lost childlike intimacy with Him. As I lay there cuddled up with my two trusty pillows, it was the first time in awhile that I had imagined myself cuddled up in my big Daddy-God’s lap with His massive gentle hand on my back. It’s the safest, most intimate place. As I scrolled through the past weeks and months, I realized how true and real my loss of intimacy with Him was. It’s not like we weren’t connecting everyday during our time together, but I had turned the majority of our time together into processing the fire that is leading a team of 16 in Africa. It took the humbling of a nasty infection to bring me back to the truth. If I grow exponentially and become the wisest sage of a leader that everyone wants insight from, but I lose intimacy with my Papa, I’ve got nothing. As far as I can see with my new perspective adjustment, God wants to take us places, do mighty things through us, and refine what’s inside of us; but if we don’t do it with Him, in intimacy with Him, we’ve missed something.

It’s been a whole new sinking-in of the Gospel that I preach daily to Ugandans and my team, a hard hitting life application for me. God created Adam and Eve and was WITH them in the garden, and it was good. They sinned and effectively separated mankind from God. After man tried a while to fix themselves, God was so heartbroken and so longed to be WITH what he created, He went to the extreme of sacrificing His Son to make a way to be WITH what He created again. Ok, that’s the Gospel, and it sounds great. But everything’s not all peachy. There is a daily choice to be WITH God. I may accept and believe what He did for me, but it’s a very different thing to actively and intimately bring Him into daily life. Even that is presumptuous: the thought that I can bring God into my life. Hahaha. It’s more like stepping into the intimate life that He has prepared for us each day. He works in mysterious ways, but I can honestly say I’m thankful for my sickness because it ushered in this revelatory perspective adjustment. So, I’m headed back to my Daddy’s lap now before the day starts. There’s plenty of room. You are welcomed here.

-Jay Shewan
www.theoutpouringblog.wordpress.com

Vacation Engagement

Hey everyone!

I want to let the SERVE extended family know that over our restful vacation week, my beautiful girlfriend, Jessica Touchton, came out to visit me. We traveled out to Sipi Falls and met JJ and Becca. It was there that I asked her to marry me! She said yes! If you’d like to read more of the story, check out http://theoutpouringblog.wordpress.com/. Here’s to a happy and exciting 2012. Blessings!

-Jay Shewan

Crafted Prayer #3

Pray out loud this prayer crafted specifically from God’s heart for Gulu by one of our interns. Enjoy!

Thank you, Lord that Gulu is a gateway for the Kingdom. It is like a door that swings both ways. It both invites people into the Kingdom and ushers in the reality of the Kingdom to northern Uganda. To the faithful, You are faithful. Thank you, Lord that the trees bear fruit of pure gold and the heavens rain down rare gemstones. This is the day that you are removing the cloud of gloom that hangs over Gulu. Thank you, Lord that you are bringing a new thing to this city, and restoration of deeper places is your plan. Than you that a new day has come for this city, and your promises are true.

Amen!

James was right about North Korea

This gallery contains 2 photos.

About a month ago, I felt the Lord wanting to do more through our team in the area of prayer. He gave vision for a space carved out specifically for prayer. With vision cast to the team, a prayer room … Continue reading →

Arua Baptisms!

From Sipi Falls to Gulu!

Crafted Prayer #2

Take a minute and pray out loud this prayer crafted specifically from God’s heart for Gulu by one of our interns. Enjoy!

Lord, I ask that you would release the hurting, afflicted people of Gulu from their darkness. Thank you that you want to restore them, heal them, and increase their joy! I ask that every mountain in their lives and hearts would be leveled right now, in Jesus name, that they would be free to run toward you. Thank you that you have shattered the yokes that burdened them, that you’ve set them free and are guiding them to places of satisfaction with you.
Amen!

Crafted Prayer #1

Recently, I was on the way back from Arua, which is in western Uganda, and I saw something in the sky that made an impression on me. I saw big rainbow that seemingly arched over the entire city of Gulu. In that moment I felt the Lord saying, “Return to the promises over this city.”

At the next team meeting, we took time to remember His promises, received new ones, and crafted them into prayers and declarations that agree with His heart for Gulu. Over the next few weeks, I will periodically release some of these powerful prayers crafted by this team. Pray these prayers along with us as we see Gulu walk into the promises He has spoken. Enjoy the first one!

Father,
Thank you for Your abundant heart for Gulu. Thank you that You will never leave nor forsake Gulu. Wash away the worries of this city. Renew a certainty of Your heavenly provision that is poured out daily here. Remind Your people that You are the best Father who knows their needs. Let Gulu become the stress free center of Uganda because its people have latched onto the truth of Your heart to provide. Come and move the hearts of this city to put aside their worries and seek first Your Kingdom. Thank you Father. We welcome Your heavenly reality here!!!
Amen!

Angels and Demons

Recently, I was praying in Arua with Nathan Zlomke, and we got onto the topic of demons. We discussed praying for people who are demon possessed and demons in general. Then, the thought struck me, why do we spend so much time talking about demons, but we never talk about angels? Realistically, there are twice as many angels as demons so why are they such a rare topic? (See Revelation 12:4-9)

I began to realize the reason I didn’t pay attention to them is because I didn’t know what they are for. I didn’t know what they did, and I certainly didn’t know why we needed them. Why would I need an angel if I’m in a relationship with the God of the universe? I have everything I need in Christ Jesus – I have His resurrection power living inside of me. With those facts what could I possibly need an angel for?

At that point God began to speak to me. He said, “I don’t need you either Jay, but I created you, and I choose to use you daily. I love to share my glory. They are carriers of my glory just the same as you are. They made the same choice to follow me as you did, and they had an opportunity to choose death or to choose life, and they chose correctly.”

Nathan and I were instantly amazed by what God was saying, and I quickly took to repenting to the angels. I repented to the angels for blowing them off, overlooking them, and not valuing what they brought to the Kingdom.

Following repentance, it was fun to welcome them openly into my life and relay how happy I was to partner with them. I told them I was so glad we are on the same team, and that we had both chosen the same awesome God. I concluded by expressing my eagerness to work together from now on.

So, I wait with great expectation as I willingly partner with a whole new army that I had previously shunned due to misunderstanding. I feel like I can walk a little taller knowing I’m on the biggest team in the supernatural realm. I look forward to the day when I get to see my new friends and partners with my natural eyes. It’s going to be great!

- Jay Shewan