Why am I at YWAM LA?

I was recently home for a few days and I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend and catch up. I knew we would get to talking about YWAM eventually, and as I drove to meet him I asked myself; "why am I at YWAM LA?". It seems an odd question coming from someone who made a minimum 2 year staffing commitment without much of a second thought. But I wanted to remind myself...what brought me here? Why do I do what I do? What do I believe in?

What followed were some refreshing answers that I can definitely stand by, but can be all too easy to forget sometimes. So here they are...

#1: I'm here because I believe in the power of Discipleship

The entry-level course for everyone in YWAM is a Discipleship Training School (DTS) --- 3 months of teaching and training at your selected campus followed by 2 to 3 months of outreach in a foreign nation (or multiple nations). One of things that allowed God to radically change me during my DTS in Los Angeles was the nature of the community around me. It seemed like the closest thing to the early church that I had ever experienced. It was about so much more than weekly meetings. It was a faith driven, discipleship-oriented community of people living together. And we shared the same goals and values - to know God and to make Him known to others. The truth is, I needed a heck of a lot more than to attend some really good services or hear a few good teachings. I needed people who were willing to walk alongside me and push me to give my all to God and following His will and calling in my life. I knew before I even left for outreach that I wanted to come back and staff a DTS because I wanted to be a part of God's transformational process in someone else's life, the same way that people were a part of my process. It was the community behind me that pushed me to pursue God, to give Him my all, and to believe in miracles. It's a discipleship based community. That's something that I find unique about YWAM and that I think is invaluable.

So. There's a big one (and the long one). Here's one more.

#2: I know this is where God wants me to be

First of all, I know He wants me here because He lead me here; not just through His provision and direction, but through the desire He placed in my heart to be here. I know that's from Him. But beyond that, I have some other suspicions as to why He might want me here.

This is a place where God wants to develop my character... 

Living in a community like this can be an incubator for character development, if you take advantage of it. There's so much wisdom and support available around here, and people and experiences that can mentor you. And the roles I've held on staff themselves have been stretching. After going through a leadership school and staffing one, one thing I'm being taught continually is the value of servant leadership. People tend to think of leaders as Type-A personalities, great public speakers, and people who command respect through their confidence and superior knowledge. That can be a great leader, but that's not the only type of leader. Far too often I've lacked confidence because I didn't feel like the aforementioned brand of leader. I didn't have all the answers, and that shook my confidence. But I've felt God challenging me to focus on servanthood. I have a tendency towards perfectionism and self-criticism...that type of false humility that in itself is a form of pride, because it is totally self-focused rather than Christ-focused. But my challenge is to focus on Jesus and to emulate Him. He loved. He served. Those things I can do. Not perfectly, but God's grace has a wonderful way of filling in the cracks of our imperfections when we serve Him and others the best way we know how to.

I had a couple other thoughts I was going to share, but I'll leave it at this for now.

Discipleship is a vital part of Christian life. We're here to lift each other up and to encourage one another to press on towards the goal; to keep on serving our savior, till our days here are done. And we're called to serve one another, as well as non-believers and the world around us. We should be known by our love and humility, just as Christ was.

These are things that I value and aspire to, and that's why I'm here.


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A year ago today...

A year ago today I began the Spiritual Leadership and Ministry Training school at YWAM Kona/University of the Nations. Those were six of the most incredible weeks of my life (and not just because I was in Hawaii). It was a real struggle returning home after my DTS and outreach to the Philippines and Thailand. There were times when I seriously doubted if I was ever going to return to YWAM Los Angeles and staff a DTS, which is what I felt God was directing me to do. But as He seems to do time and time again, He showed me that His grace is sufficient, above and beyond what I could ever desire.

It was there in Kona that I was invited to come staff the Fall 2014 DTS at YWAM LA, which was an amazing experience that allowed me to co-lead a team to Costa Rica and Panama, and make some incredible friends along the way.

And now, here I am in LA. Still serving and pursuing what God has for me, and living in a community of some amazing people that I look up to and am happy to work alongside.



To everyone who has been a part of my journey through your thoughts, prayers, emotional and financial support, and most of all your friendship - THANK YOU. I cannot thank you enough. I am a lucky, lucky guy. And I hope that every blessing from God in my life extends to you as well.