Posted in General Posts by George Bunting on 4/23/2009
I realized yesterday that I have not posted a blog in two months! Whoa!
So what's going on with me?
God's calmed my heart about life. It's simple, but true.
He's quieted me. It just seems like where as I used to try and come up with great words to encourage people, he doesn't give me much to say anymore because he wants me to learn to listen to him more. There are certain times when he gives me words to speak (as an encourager to a dear friend)....but for the most part, he's told me to be still.
He's given me a trust...true trust in His plan. Instead of being the old me and trying to work things out towards what he shows me is in his will, I've learned to simply quiet my soul before him and speak the words he calls me to and complete the actions he calls me to complete. It's keeping me from heart ache and preserving one of the greatest blessings a man can recieve...making me wait for that blessing because this harvest is not yet ripe. But I'm content in waiting for him to ripen the harvest...it's an amazing journey.
He's teaching me patience through this fund-raising. I'm doing all I know to do to reach out and raise the money, but I've only been able to get about $500 of certain support. The situation seems bleak, but oddly enough I have a peace that the money is going to come because this is God's will for me. I just keep seeking and he puts me at peace.
I will wait on the Lord...my soul waits.
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by George Bunting on 2/25/2009
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." (Hebrws 12:1)
Every since I signed up to go on the Race, that's whats been on my mind for the majority of most days...I'm looking sooo forward to this! But I let myself become bitter at Papa because I didn't know where I was supposed to be or do until October comes. I didn't feel any purpose living where I lived in Waxahachie...so I moved back in with my parents in my hometown of Ennis so that I could save money for the Race, and even started going back to the church I grew up in (which I swore I would never do again...but praise God that I did). It seemed to me like I was taking a step back when my greatest desire was to move forward. As each day kept creeping on, I became all the more bitter and unhappy because I was still stuck in this same place just waiting for October to get here. I even tried moving to Georgia, just so that I could have a change of environment while I waited.
Bitterness led to complacency in my relationship with Jesus.
Then a dear friend --- *cough* Amy *cough* :-) --- sent me a facebook message (gotta love our tech-filled world!) showing me the truth that I had a golden opportunity these next seven months to grow much closer in my walk. One of the things she told me was to tackle to issues that are going on with me...battles that I am facing. This message, mixed with the revelations Papa has given me in the last few weeks, brought me back to this passage from Hebrews 12.
Let us strip off every weight that holds us away from fully running after Jesus.
And now I've realized that my calling for the next seven months is to full force attack every weight that holds me away from fully running...every bad habit, addiction, personal fears and doubts about life, unhealthy friendships...all the things that hold me back. That's a call for all of us...I know that each one of us is struggling in some form or fashion, and as much as some of us may never want to admit it...there are plenty of things that are keeping us wieghed down. So, although for many of us this remaining seven months may seem like an eternity now, let's take advantage of this time and train ourselves to be even better warriors for Jesus.
But take notice that the writer of Hebrews doesn't just hold sin as the sole means of our weight....he says to strip off every weight, including sin...not just sin, including sin. In other words, we need to let go of all of the garbage that wastes our time and fill that time with pursuing Jesus in the Word and prayer and servanthood.
It's very very hard to strip off the weights, but it is not impossible...how do we do it?
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne." (Hebrews 12:2)
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by George Bunting on 2/10/2009
As the weeks pass by, my days are consumed with the anticipation of leaving for the Race. Although every day is a journey with Jesus, it's hard not look to October 1st with a whole lot of anitcipation...I mean...IM PUMPED! Since I was 16, missions has been a dream of mine and although I've been able to go on a few foreign trips in that time, the Race is for me a beginning to fulfill the dream Papa has given me. And so as I look forward to the Race, lots of things go through my mind about this journey...
How am I feeling about leaving? I'm am absolutely, exceedly, fantastically, utterly, abundantly, enthusiastically, ecstatically, exhilaratingly, delightfully and utterly pumped about the World Race! PUMPED! P-U-M-P-E-D, PUMPED! :-D If I get any more pumped, you will have to peel me off of the ceiling! This is a dream come true for me!
What do I hope Papa will do in my life during the Race? The last two years of my life have been filled with change. Since December 14, 2006, Papa has shown me a love and purpose for life that I never tought possible. He's increased my wisdom of the Word, guided me into purposeful prayer and shown me how to love people. I've gained a love for the people of this world. Yet, through all of this, I have not pursued to the fullest the potential within me. I have so much potential lying within me, but it is not supposed to stay within me. Rather, it is designed to change this world for Jesus. That's my hope for this trip. I want to be away from the American culture, away from the expectations of what we think is so important life...the extra hours at work, our shows on tv, our little gadgets and toys that we work so hard to gain, the status' that we strive to obtain...it's all worthless when compared with Jesus. I want to be away from all of that and into a lifestyle where I am having to cry out to God for every need. I want to live on only the items that I have with me and meet the needs of people as I pass them so that I can show them the love of Jesus. I want to learn to depend on Papa for absolutely every need in my life. I want to learn so much more than I know now about discerning Papa's voice. I want to immerse myself into the Word every day, partnered with the experiences of this mission trip, to gain a wisdom even greater than now....so much greater than now. I want to have a better vision of what I need to do to accomplish His purposes for me with my life. I want to come back a man ready to lead. I want to come back a man absoluetly transformed beyond any recognition. Many people now tell me that I am a great man of God with tons of potential, but when I return I want people to be humbled by God's wisdom and purpose when they see and speak to me...not for my glory, but so that my Jesus can receive praises greater than any one man can give. I may be a great man now....but I am not yet the best man I can be for Jesus and so I don't wanna stop until I am.
What are my concerns? You know, maybe it's because Papa has just given me a peaceful mind about this trip, or perhaps because I am just that crazy...but I don't have any relative concerns for the trip itself! I've experienced mission trips in Mexico twice and Ukraine once and I lived in Iraq for a year, so I'm not worried about tryihng to make it in other cultures. And the hardships that are to come only mean that I wll learn how to better depend on Papa. And I know that Papa will be there every step of the way...He will not forget us. As far as preparation for the Race, I know that $16,000 is hard to raise, especially in a bad economy, but I know that my God can do all things as He chooses. No amount of money compares to the power of God. The entire universe is under His control...so why should I fear any obstacle?! I'll just continue to seek the funds and trust that Papa will provide. I understand that "with my God I can scale any wall" (Psalm 18:29). So, call me crazy, but I don't have any concerns.
What will keep me from reaching my full potential on this trip? That's simple...me. Papa has offered me this chance to begin fulfilling His purpose for me, so only I can choose to answer the call. And I think that it's not so much about reaching my full potential as it is about releasing my full potential. I can reach my full potential within myself and still not make a slight difference in this world for Jesus. It's only when I release my potential through actions that I will change the world for Jesus. And since Papa has offered and called me to this chance to release my potential...only I can choose to do so.
And although there are a great many things I want to learn from this experience, the journey begins now...so I'll do my best to immerse myself into Jesus every second I can. :-)
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by George Bunting on 2/7/2009
It's funny to me that Papa uses the most opposite circumtances to show us our life purpose.
I've always had a desire for missions...it was my favorite part of my youth group and I was always looking at stories about missionaries online, dreaming of the day when that would be me. As I got closer to graduating high school, though, I began to see those dreams as childish and I hid them away deep in my soul. I tried pursuing a more comfortable lifestyle of minsitry to give myself to, but nothing seemed to fulfill that desire deep within. Well, time came to pass and I joined the Army to try to make some sense of life and just gave up on the idea of missions all together. That desire for missions stayed deep within my soul for a couple of years until Papa decided He wouldn't let it stay hidden anymore. And of all the places and circumstances in the world to reveal that calling to me...Papa did it in Baghdad, Iraq.
It was May 2007 and I was deployed with my Army unit to Baghdad. The local miltary church groups in the area decided to get together and have a revival for those us of "stuck in the desert". That point in my deployment was especially frustrating for me because I really missed my family and wanted to be home more than anything, so I thought that going to this revival might get my head outta the Iraq-mode for a day or two. The first night came and went, nothing special. It was the second night that I realized Papa was calling me back to missions. We were singing and since it was a gospel-led service we sang about 15 or 20 songs! lol...no joke! Good stuff though! There came a point when I just began to talk to Papa about these desires He had begun to raise back to the surface. I had only been in Iraq for about 4 months, but in that time, I could only focus on the devestation of the human soul that was occuring in that country. Then, Papa made me realize that this devestation was everywhere in the world in some form and fashion.
I wanted to understand what I could do to make the world better and Papa reminded me of the desire I had hidden away in my heart. Almost immediately, I finally felt purpose for the first time in a long time. Papa told me that when I got back to the United States that next year, He was going to have the first step in the mission journey. There was only one problem: I was stuck in a commitment to the Army that was going to last another three years or so. I honestly did not know what to tell Papa in response. All I could think to say was, "I want to go, but I'm stuck here in the Army and I cannot go as long I am stuck to this commitment". Papa's response was this: "You let me take care of that. You just trust me and begin seeking out the wisdom I want you to learn for this journey". So, I did.
The deployment continued to drag on day by day, and soon enough the day to return home came and went. Honestly, I had forgotten about that experience. I guess in the midst of all that Papa was doing in my life, I forgot about that night because it was just a small piece of what Papa had done in me. Papa didn't forget though, and three weeks later I found out that because of my knee problems, the Army was going to medically discharge me. It took six months (about right for the Army! lol), but in July 2008 I left the Army for good and started seeking what the next step was. November came around and my friend Amy told me about a mission trip that she was going on called the World Race. When she described it to me, I was hooked to the idea! So, I applied and here I am today.
Oh, and a funny thing about that experience in Iraq was this...it was so vital to me being here today, yet I did not even remember it until about a month ago! Papa works in awesome ways!
| |
|
|
|
|
