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coaoreo-blog · 6 years

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The Oreian Purge: Love Triumphs Over Judgment.

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Photo Taken by Britt Myers[/caption]

ANNOUNCEMENTS

What is going on OREO NATION! I am so happy to be back again with you today. I have been through a lot in these last couple of weeks and I have so many things to tell you! I would first like to start out by saying that on September 18th I will be heading out to do a program called YWAM. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) is an international ministry whose purpose is to, "know God and make him known throughout all nations." While in this program I will be attending the YWAM Richmond VA | Musicians DTS. A DTS is a discipleship training school. On this journey, I will be diving deep into scripture and learning who God is and his purpose for my life. I will also be learning music theory, songwriting, and ways to share God's love through music. For those who know me, they know that I love Jesus, music, and people with all of my heart. To me, music is the universal language. It doesn't matter where you are, what you believe in, or the language that you speak, music connects us all. Music is a language created from the hearts to connect souls between human beings. I am hoping to use music to serve and love others. Following my time at the discipleship training school, I will then head out to a foreign country for three months: this is called outreach. In this foreign country, I will be putting everything that I have learned into practice by serving those of another nation. I chose the YWAM of Richmond for there was an opportunity to go to Japan. I feel very strongly about God calling me to Japan. So following my time in outreach, I will be heading to Japan for roughly three to four years. While in Japan, I look to continue my work as a missionary with music. As many of you know, the life of missions is not an easy one. Traveling abroad is rather expensive and I have been working two jobs to try and come up with the funds, however, with such a short time, I haven't been able to quite make the cut. So, I am coming to you fellow friends, families, and followers, to ask that you partner with me financially on this journey. I cannot do it without the support of those closest to me. I hope to make a difference and work to bring forth what Jesus had always visioned: A heaven on earth. I plan to do that by going to the South Eastern Asian Countries and loving and serving as many communities and people as I can for the next few years of my life. God has called me to start in Japan. So if you feel a call to partner with me financially, the link to the donation page is below and I thank you in advance for walking with me on this journey: YWAM Richmond VA | Musician DTS Secondly, I am putting together a backyard acoustic show that will not only be live music but also be played live on Facebook to help raise money. If you are interested to be sure to like my facebook page for updates! It is going to be a blast and I'll be presenting some of the new songs that I have written over the past couple of months. If you have any suggestions I would love to receive them so that I can get to learn them! Now let's get down to business :) ____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Oreian Purge

I recently talked with a customer about love and change. I know...you are probably wondering what a weird conversation to have with someone just coming in for a medium London Fog (yes, I remembered their drink order but that should just go to show you how important the conversation was to me). It was something that I had recently been discussing with many others in my life: a dream that I want to make a reality. I have started to call it the Oreian Purge. Yes, it is going to be a purge of love and service to those of all nations in the same manner that Jesus loved and served before us. I believe wholeheartedly that my generation could start the movement that this world needs to see. I have found when talking to those similar to in age, that there are two types of people: those who have accepted and given up hope for change and those who are itching to do something and make the impact that God has called each and everyone one of us to make. I believe that with the help of music, this purge of love can be possible. We just have to start by attacking the darkness and brokenness within our lives.

World of Broken and Bruised

We live in a world that is run by stereotypes. I was blessed enough to not have to deal with this growing up. When asked what I mean by this I tend to describe it as my own personal "utopia" where color was not seen. I was adopted by an all-white family in Kentucky. To the outside world, my family is as country as it gets. We shoot guns in an open field, have gigantic gatherings with second and third cousins bring home cooked meals, heavy southern accents, and USA style cowboy boots and belts. I absolutely love them for that. Despite how far-fetched some can be I have learned extremely valuable lessons from them. They've taught me what family really means and how to stick by each other through thick and thin. We are different and it is because of our differences that I love my family so much. I mean a family bred in the south adopting African American children is something quite different than the average joe I'd say. If someone would have tried this 50 years ago they would have been looked down upon or locked up. I tell people that it is only by the grace of God that I was placed and accepted into the family that I am in. If I am being honest, it does come with challenges however, it is because of those challenges and the testimony that I've lived that I can say, despite everything that is happening and has happened in our country, there is hope. There is hope for a future where discrimination is nonexistent. There is hope for a future where sexual orientation doesn't get you cast out. There is hope for a future where racial profiling is not a common norm among police officers and society alike. Some may say that I am dreaming and being abnormally optimistic. Other's would say yes but it won't happen for many years for people are just too stuck and lost in their ways brainwashed by media. I am here, however, to tell you that I am not saying these things because I dreamt about it or I am ignorant of reality. I am saying these things because I have LIVED THEM. I lived in a world where people didn't see color, they only saw a daughter, a cousin, a friend...a human being. I lived in a family where they treated those different as if they were family. So why can't that world be a reality? The simple answer is that it can it's just going to take some work.

A Storm is Coming

As a prime Generation Z member (yes that is what they are calling us '95-'12 or iGen or short) I found myself scrolling through social media and came across an article highlighting fellow Christians my age attending a Pride Parade with a sign that said, "I AM SORRY. We are here to apologize for the ways that we as Christians have harmed the LGBT Community." There have been few times in my life that something has left me speechless...this article, I tell you, left me speechless and it was at that moment, I could sense something coming. It felt as if I was a lone spectator planted upon a local balcony in Spain waiting for the Running of the Bulls. The moment where you feel the ground starting to shake and observe the rocks starting to bounce atop the dirt road. The cheers, as you look up, growing louder and louder as they drift your way. However, this was no Running of the Bulls. This was something bigger. As I read through the article I started to feel the excitement and the anticipation for I could sense something right over the horizon. Change is on its way and I couldn't be more ecstatic. We as a generation are finally waking up and doing what I knew we are supposed to do: love those unconditionally as Jesus has loved and continues to love us. We are finally taking responsibility for our mistakes and deciding that enough is enough. It is now our time to be the change that we've always want to see. Homosexuality is something that I have seen in this day and age split the church in two. There are those who cast others out and treat them as if they are destined and born condemned to Hell. To those who have experienced this, I would like to personally apologize. We as Christian's have no right to judge someone's sin as being greater than our own. Who someone loves is up to them not us. I want to state and will continue to state that Jesus loves every single person on this planet. He died for every single person on this planet. It does not matter who you love, what you have done, the mistakes that you have made, Jesus LOVES you. I believe that Christians were called to love and to serve, not judge, condemn, or guilt into repentance. There are different denominations that differ from this mindset and feel a need to go through a person to reach the kingdom of heaven rather than speaking to God himself. I personally would like to say God calls us to be in a personal relationship with him: like a parent. That is where my "relationalist" mindset comes from (yes I am also aware that I made that word up). He doesn't cast us out when we make mistakes for his knows the mistakes already that we have made. However, he wishes for us to talk to him about our struggles and our burdens (I promise you guys that God is a big boy and he'll be able to handle it). Similar to any parent, God does reprimand for wrongdoings, but that does not mean that he loves us any less or sees us any less than what we are. It saddens me that many have been hurt in the name of God. The crusades are one example of Christians persecuting those who do not agree with the teachings of the Bible. There many stories on social media of kids afraid to come out to their parents for fear of being disowned in the name of Christianity. I want to tell you all that this is not how the kingdom of God is going to be advanced. We are all sinners and we are all broken. When we realized that we are not better or worse off than another person we will finally be able to make some progress. They say the first step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem. We all have problems. However, it will not be until you can put yourself aside and allow Jesus to help you see the world through his eyes any change can occur. When you tend to think of those around you as a family you will start to see the world differently. I am an example of this. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life and dealt with shame and the struggle of being unworthy of love. It was only when I allowed God to come into my life and accept his love that I finally was able to see. I see past disagreements and see my self-worth in him.

Disagree Does Not Equal Disown

My family is constantly disagreeing. These disagreements range from how one should properly separate and wash laundry to politics. However, I have learned that disagreements don't lower or increase one's level of love towards another. I love one of my best friends to death and he is gay. I honestly would not have him any other way. He is beautiful both inside and out and has been a blessing to my life. I want to state wholeheartedly that I will always stand by him for Jesus loves him and I love him. It is not to say that I agree with everything about him and it is not to say that he agrees with everything about me. It is to say that despite my thoughts, my love for my friend and Jesus's love for him with always triumph. As the song Mercy (Amanda Cook) states, "You delight in showing mercy and mercy triumphs over judgment." No one is perfect and no one's sin is greater than another. We were not created to judge one another but to love and serve one another as Jesus loved and served those around him.

Stay Golden

Jesus created each and every one of us. We are all different from our looks to our talents and so forth. Everyone is beautiful and unique. Everyone is an oreo. We are all different on the outside than we are on the inside. That is the beauty of our creation. We are all complicated, emotional, guarded, and broken. Some can sing while others can dance. Some are super athletic while others are better intellectually. Many have multiple talents while others have just one. But we are all united under one banner and that is the Oreo Nation banner where we battle the existence of stereotypes and revel in the fact that everyone is different and we are amazing because we are different. The two big takeaways from this post that I hope to stay with you are these:

You are greatly and unconditionally loved by both Jesus and me.

Always Stay Golden and be true to who you are because you are perfect.

[caption id="attachment_156" align="alignleft" width="331"] height="221" alt="img_13201[/caption] Much love to you my #OreoNation,

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