In Case you Forgot: God really is Faithful

Well, here is the news. As of one month ago I owed 48,000 dollars for my 2 year program at Rivendell Sanctuary. As of 3 weeks ago I owed 33,000 dollars. As of one week ago I owe only 11,000 dollars. And of that 11,000 I need 800 by January 3rd and of that 800 I have 200, leaving a whopping total of $600 dollars needed by January 3rd 2011. In case you forgot: God really is Faithful.

Please E-mail any thing you might have in mind or prayers for me.
Please mail any contributions to:

Joey Brunette
c/o Rivendell Sanctuary
6820 Auto Club Road, Suite T
Bloomington, MN 55438

You can also contribute online by card any amount you wish for the next 30 days by clicking
HERE

Here is the Link

Here is the link to the guest blog spot I had the opportunity of writing for Rivendell Sanctuary;

Click Here

A fresh Look At School

I am letting you in on another email to Rivendell Sanctuary. I am getting to be a guest writer on their blog and I wanted to show you what I am planning to write. I'll post the link when it comes up.

"Five years ago I finally gave my life to Jesus and have been asking the question, “How do I live the whole of my life to the glory of God?” After hearing about Rivendell from my Base Director at Youth With A Mission Maui I saw a step towards my answer.

My first impression of their educational model was, “PRAISE GOD!” to say the least, I was flabbergasted. What made me so excited? My utmost desire is to know and live out consistently the word of God in every sphere of my life to the glory of God. After years of frustration at the lack of adequate answers I was pointed in the direction of this amazing program that attempts to not only apply Biblical truth to the whole of life but also create a student that both knows that truth and has the tools to live it out.

How could I not be excited? This program is literally the answer to the cry of my heart! Now that I have been accepted and the start date of the inaugural class is quickly approaching, my excitement towards the future is only growing. I have many goals laying in my future: a deeper relationship with God, continuing to learn long after I leave the classroom, influencing society, being the best light I can be for the truth and message of the good news of Jesus Christ, working an honest job, adventure, marriage, children, and developing a legacy that blesses even my children’s children. This program is not just any common tool in my growing tool belt of life to accomplish these goals but is perhaps one of the most important. I could not have imagined a better one.

I try to expect God to be himself – faithfully large and in-charge, once again He has complete surpassed my expectations by showing me Rivendell Sanctuary."

Only One Month Away

So, I have been looking at the calendar. Less than a month left till I end this season of my life here at YWAM Maui and start the next. To say it succinctly; It is so wierd!

I am stepping out to start a new adventure and I would love if you would continue to come along with me.

A Verbal Process Update

This Excerpt below is from an email that I sent to the University I am planning on attending in January. While writing it I thought you all might enjoy it so I decided to post it for you.

"I moved out of my parents house when I was nineteen in a wisp of a hope that life had some coherent objective universal upon which I could base everything in my life the alternative of which would have been honest nihilism and then suicide. I had heard about YWAM from some cousins who had done it and read about a program being run here in Maui called the School of Biblical Foundations and Missions - which is almost identical to your Battle of Beliefs School - Which boasted the subtitle of, "Why you believe what you believe." I gave Christianity one last shot knowing only the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life but having no answers to my philosophical and as Ravi puts it,"Existential questions." Having gone through almost a full year of mission building and completing my DTS, I was finally able to do my SBFM. Through this school experience I was actually changed forever by not only having the time and community around me to help guide me through the deep questions I had about life, the universe, and everything but also - despite the theological issues that may arise - I believe, finally getting saved. The day after returning from that second outreach, I began staffing. It has been almost 3 years since that day and I am now hearing the Lord moving me on to continue in the plans that He has for me. In my short YWAM career I have gotten to see God work in the lives of people in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, The Big C, Malaysia, Brunei, and Philippines. I see no reason to stop doing what the Lord says now! "

Thank you for all your support over the years, weird that I can now say years.... It truly has helped change the world.

Apologetics Week

Now that I am actually in the country and do not have a 24 hour a day schedule I want to start back-up my weekly updates.

This week's lecture topic is Apologetics- Equipping us with the tools to give a reason for the hope that we have. 1 Peter 3:15

A brief synopsis of the week:

- The four laws of logic
- Evidence and proofs for the inspiration, authority, and the inerrancy of the bible.
- Classical Arguments for the existence and nature of God
- Light touch of basic Christianity, with a focus on what should be first defended.

In other words it is a good time!!



On a more personal note, I am not only getting to review so much wonderful content but I am also getting chances to teach it! As much as I enjoy it I am really being humbled by it. Turns out it takes a lot more work to teach then it does to learn. *wink* Who would have guessed it!?

In a few weeks I will be fascilitating a week on Jesus's sermon on the mount - specifically the beatitudes. If you think about it please pray that Holy Spirit will be completely free to move in the lives of my students. This is my greatest request. There are 14 students.

Till next time, God bless

Fresh Off the Post

I have shared a little about my plans for January. I think I am gonna go back to school. I have been praying a lot and I think the Lord is leading me in the direction of Rivendell Sanctuary. it is really one of the only schools of its kind. And as of today I have just received the acceptance package.

The package is a lite one, seven simple pages describing the plans for the next two years of life. On the one hand it gives me a lot of peace to have something planned for the next two years of my life on paper. On the other hand, I am having to count the cost once again of what it means to leave everything behind for what I think the Lord is telling me to do.

God has truly blessed me with life here in YWAM Maui, I have friends,family, spheres of influence, seniority in our little microcosm of people - an entire group of people that love me and care for me. But the pinnacle has been the relationship with Him - Jesus. I have encountered Him, learned more about Him, been through time of weeping and times of joy with Him here. I did this all at His call to follow him. And I want to be with Him where He is and I want to go with Him where He goes. So the time is coming to move on.

I will probably take some time in the next few months to reflect back on over four years of journeying with the Lord but for now this post is for a prayer request.

My first two years comes to a total of $48,000 for everything. This price pays for room, board, and all school expenses. And as I write this to you I have $260 saved for it. In my heart I fear that I will believe the lies of satan that say, "This is impossible." And as I sit and wait on the Lord for the truth, He says,

"For grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9

He has already done the impossible, He saved me.....
God is the God of the impossible. It is His gift. So please be praying for my finances.

School Of Biblical Foundations and Missions

As usual, I have jumped right in to another set of responsibilities. I am a month into staffing the SBFM. I got to participate in the this school in the fall of 2007 and now have the wonderful opportunity to staff it. I get to be apart of what the Lord is doing in these men and women's lives as He transforms them with His truth.

The focus of the SBFM is to transform the lives of God's people helping to renew their minds with the truth and conform them into the image of Jesus Christ.


This makes for some powerful encounters with the living God. And as the light of truth illuminates the dark lies of their lives they are forever changed.

This is what I get to do with my days. This is the priveledge that God has given to me as I follow Him around.

On a slightly different note, as I follow the Lord Jesus around, He has been talking to me my university opportunity in January. I still think that this is what God is guiding me to do. More and more He confirms to me His plans for me to leave YWAM Maui and join this amazing college in January. My circumstances however, have not changed. Each semester costs roughly $12,000 for everything. I have none of this cost.

I have that inner struggle - where does moral responsibility meet stepping in faith? As I dig into the bible for answers I come across promises:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. -John 10:27

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" - Matthew 7:11

So please pray and walk with me as we will get to see together what happens! God Bless

Spring DTS '10 is Officially Over

Here We Are!

This is Me and My Co-Leader Liz

This outreach to asia was one of the more exciting trips that I have gone on. I have never met so many people who were truly hungry for the gospel. Seemingly random people on the street were open and eager to hear about Jesus and the good news.

Thank you for your prayers, these made all the difference, and boy, could we tell!

Here is one story;

While helping to run an English Corner we met a women named "E" - I will call her E for security purposes. She made friends with a girl on my team instantly and from the first "hello" was already interested in what we had to say. This was no regular encounter, God had set this up!

In a country that boasts an aesthetic government, "E" had just begun reading the bible on her own initiative! A bible which had been given to her by a teacher in her high-school a few years before. Needless to say she had some real questions. "Who is this God?" She asked, and "Why are we separated from him?" And, "What must I do to be saved?"

Our mouths dropped to the floor! Before we had even arrived, God had been working in this woman's life, preparing her for this meeting. We got to share the entire gospel with her and pray with her. And as we left we prayed with her that God would continue what He was already doing in her life.

There are so many other stories like this one; stories of people who had been to church before but never understood what was going on. Or, stories of people feel overwhelming peace and joy as they enter a church for the very first time in their lives. We had the opportunity to witness such a mighty move of God in the hearts of people. These kinds of things do not happen everyday, even our contacts were astonished at the people we would meet on the streets.

Truly your prayers have changed peoples lives, thank you for being apart of this crazy things the Lord is doing in me and through the lives of the people who follow hard after him. Thanks for following me in my journey with the Lord.

Like most things in life, there is little time to breathe as we jump into what is next. Starting Friday, I will be staffing the School of Biblical Foundations and Missions. If you remember - or wish to look back - I did this school back in the fall of 2007. It has been a defining moment in my walk with Jesus and changed my life forever. I am looking forward to being even a small part of what the Lord does in young men and women's lives through this program.

New students come on the 8th. And I get to start the ride all over again. What a ride it will be!

Only Five Days Left!

Our Final Bible Study

Just In Case you forgot where I was

Please do not leave ANY comments!! For security reasons

The Count Down Begins

Well folks it is that time again,

I stand less than two weeks from my next trip out to the nations. This class of students has certainly been the best I have seen. They are hungry for the truth of the word and the power of His Holy Spirit.

Needless to say that is the most exciting combination a student could have. In light of this hunger for God, He has responded in kind with new revelations of Himself. As a school we have been devouring the scriptures and making the most of our personal times to try and absorb as much knowledge and experience before we head out. What are ride it has been!!!

We fly out on July 1st, please keep us in your prayers and remember.... There is a whole world out there in need of the gospel, are you doing your part?

The Team

Left to Right

Sarah, Daniel, Grace, Me, Liz, David, Shannon, Maddie, Catie, Johanna

Be praying for protection, encouragement, and salvation for the nation.

Talk about good Times!

The Lord is always faithful. It is the middle of week 2. The topic is Identity in Christ. This particularly deals with two subjects. The first is what we think of God; the second is what God thinks of us.

There are some notable differences between this school and the Last school I helped to staff (see further down in the blog for information regarding the last school that I staffed). God has made a very bold promise to this school. He has said:

But this is the covenant which I will make the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put my law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying' Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31: 33&34

God has promised to make us his people and to make Himself our God. Their is such intimacy in this promise. And we get to pursue Him as deep as we want as He fulfills His promise to us.

Hello!

Been quite some time since my last blog. O sweet vacation with the Lord. Looks like I will get to be doing another DTS heading to another asian country. I will keep you all updated with events are they transpire. Love you all tons.

God's Unchanging Faithfullness

I am back to life as usual here at YWAM Maui. I am currently directing base intercession and overseeing outreach into our community here on the island. The last few months have rushed by and I am so happy to say that God's hand of rest and healing is upon my life during this restful season.

In the midst of the lord's hand upon me as I continue to serve Him out here I am still being reminded of how blessed of a Life I live. And so I want to encourage you with a video of what the Lord is doing through us here at YWAM in the nation of nepal and show you that a poor economy changes nothing that the Lord is doing in the world. Be encouraged and humored, God is faithful and He doesn't change despite the circumstances.

Scenes From Nepal