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X-ORDINARY COUPLES

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Think God doesn’t understand your financial burdens and responsibilities? Think again.

I recently met this amazing couple at a Rep intercessory dinner. Their story of miraculous providence in their careers and lives is simply jaw-dropping.
Huey & Cac: Testimony in Their Own Words
We were recently saved when we heard the Lord say He is releasing Huey from the company where Huey was working at the time. Huey obeyed the Lord and quit his work. This was during a critical time in the job market. The economy was crumbling and companies had ceased hiring, this was a risky move. But we moved on the conviction that God was more important to us then our financial security.
Unable to keep up with mortgage payments, the bank prepared us for foreclosure. And for 2 1/2 years, we tried working with the bank to avoid and delay the foreclosure process. It was a miracle that we remained in our house for that length of time because when the market crashed in 2008, banks were foreclosing houses for even just a few months of late payments. But we knew God was with us, and for us. So we remained and waited on God to open doors for us to remodify our loans so we could save the house. We simply didn’t have anywhere else to go. It was a daily walk of faith. We held on to what He said, for it was all that we had. We couldn’t tell our family or ask for help even when in the midst of our financial hardship. This was what we felt the Lord had said when we prayed about our house:
1. Your second loan will be forgiven completely
2. Our first loan will be remodified (this will stop the foreclosure process under new loan term)
3. When this is in place, it is a sign that Huey will also have a full time employment.
All three promises did fulfill in the exact order. In fact, that second loan was forgiven just a few days before an adverse law was implemented, where taxes had to be paid on all forgiven loans, a large amount. We learned that God specifically did not provide Huey with a new and stable job that allowed us to resume payments and secure our house. Instead, He wanted His grace to go before us and made a way when there is no way.
It is more than a testimony and a story about our house. It is God’s glory in placing His people to intercede, heal and reconcile the people and land to Him. It’s about Kingdom purpose and value. Far more glorious.
Read more of Huey & Cac’s testimony and other stories at Bizcipleship.

Advent: A Season of Waiting

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“The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening. A waiting person is a patient person. The word “patience” means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.” – Henri Nouwen

A friend once told me that Lent is the season God hunts for our hearts especially poignantly. If so, then Advent is the time He waits for us to hunt for His. A longing to see the promised Messiah characterizes December as we journey towards Christmas. Around my friends and the larger Rep community, I see the same theme – a great Convergence of many plans and His leading seem to come together after many challenges when suddenly there is a – Pause –.

Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now?” —John 13:37

For some it’s awaiting for a job offer to come through. It’s the moment before the decision to invest in faith on a business opportunity God has touched. Or the long wait for God to unravel some particularly difficult hurt in our hearts – a broken relationship, an unanswered prayer, recalcitrant sin. 

It is in that – Pause –, in that Desert of waiting that God sifts our heart. There we learn to come before the Father again with child-like anticipation, trusting Him to provide. Until we echo the ancient call:

Maranatha, maranatha! Come, O Lord!

How I left my job to begin a trip around the world with Rep

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As many of you have heard, the X-Ordinary journey also had momentous beginnings. July 20, 2014 started as just another ordinary morning at work. A few hours later, I was surprised to find myself packing up my desk, leaving behind a successful business built from scratch due to a major company layoff.

But it was not so surprising, in that I had been months in prayer about walking away from work I felt I was good at doing, but far from my career passion in social entrepreneurship – businesses purposed to create social impact. Exactly a year ago, July 20, 2013, I had handed in my resignation only to be asked to stay by my superiors. “Just stay, I’ve set you here for now” God had iterated in my prayers.

“He put a new song in my mouth, 

a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:30

I woke up, newly jobless at 6AM the next morning, left LA and drove 5 hours the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a silent Benedictine monastery situated in the remote wilderness of Big Sur along the beautiful California coast. I came into the deep forest quiet to pray about a crazy idea: Taking a year sabbatical to travel and write. Within minutes of arrival, I showed up at Collatio – a communal reading of scripture.

“Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” Matthew 13:52

This verse comes from a passage about how the Kingdom of God is of such worth that one would sell all he has to possess it. This note particularly to scribes touched me. Scribes, whose jobs were to write about scripture, were called to take from their wealth of experience and bring out stories of how God is working in people’s lives, biblically and now. It was the first in a series of confirmations to me that this was the right path to pursue.

Fast forward a week…

… I came away from Big Sur both inspired and demoralized. A meeting with a wise old monk had given me caution on proceeding willy-nilly on my new adventure. He commented on the lack of structure, purpose and service, “Sounds like a year-long vacation if you ask me!” During the drive continuing on to San Jose, I thought about ways to structure my travel around volunteering and serving others. The only organization that came to mind was Rep, which a friend from business school had introduced to me years ago. On a whim, I cold-emailed Brett who agreed to meet me out of his busy schedule.

“It happens that I’ve written a new book. 500 stories of ordinary people who God has called to do ExtraOrdinary things.” – Brett Johnson

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It turns out that Brett & Lyn had been praying since April for a resource to travel to South Africa, India & Indonesia do validation for a book all about old and new Rep stories. Two days later, I went to my first Rep orientation and started the 6-hour commute between Los Angeles and the Bay Area training. Above is a picture of what I was left with after giving up my LA apartment a month later. On Nov. 23rd, my class had our Commissioning Ceremony.

God Inserts a – Pause –

Due to the timing of our commissioning, a key wedding and American holidays, I found that the ExtraOrdinary travel would start in January. After such an amazing beginning, I had fully expected to be meeting many of you in South Africa… right now! 

Instead, this has been a season of waiting and preparation for me. Through a series of homestays during and after Training, God has been teaching me reliance upon the generous hospitality of many friends and family. Couches, sleeping mats and shared mealtimes have all become humbling de riguer. 

During this time I’ve been enjoying the warmth and encouragement of close relationships with people I’ve known all my life. And ironically, sleeping on the floor has helped heal a painful spot on my back! I find God has a great sense of humor and cares for us in the smallest of details.

Updates

This Advent has been pregnant with anticipation for me. My own longing for the ExtraOrdinary adventure to begin becomes entwined with the desire to see Christ bring forth this story, and your stories with it, to new life. 

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