Five months in this LA journey and never have I ever...
Loved a hobby more than riding bikes along the beach.
Thought I’d love working in a high school (haha).
Spent so much money on Uber (haha).
Been brave enough to take public transportation alone and trusted that God
would protect me even after getting on the wrong bus only to accidently find a gem
of a library in downtown, which is now my one of my new favorite places.
Never have I
ever thought I’d go to Skid Row with the Dream Center inviting people to church.
Been to Hollywood Boulevard and experienced a group of believers come
together in a moment to worship the Living God, and bow on their knees to glorify
Him in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood.
Seen some of the heartbreaking sights I've seen along the streets of Downtown LA.
Never have I ever seen a people so in need of Jesus
Until
Now.
As with the 8th of every month, this month I reflected on these experiences and along with the not so fun times and was reminded of a funeral I recently watched on livestream from a hero in the faith- Brian Brennt, the founder of Circuit Riders. Circuit Riders is a revival movement to spread the Gospel to universities and high schools all over the U.S. and the world (check it out here: https://youtu.be/BLFvVOVBTBc) Watching the livestream was incredible and brought me to tears. Each person that went up shared how Brian Brennt made a major Kingdom impact during his time on earth and how he had extremely radical, consistent faith in the power of Jesus. Because of his willingness to dream God sized dreams, when people (even fellow Christians), doubted the miracles on the other side of his faith, he did not waiver from the words given to him by God.
In the middle of watching his powerful homegoing service, it suddenly hit me that this man, whom I’ve never met and barely knew about until recently, is one of the many individuals that helped get me here to California.
Before I explain any more, let’s backtrack to November 2020. I was a senior in college and had the overwhelming news looming in my mind that I had been accepted into City Year Los Angeles. I hardly told a soul the news because I was feeling all sorts of things- excited to potentially have this “California dream” fulfilled, but also extremely terrified of going to a whole other place that most non-Californians bashed, saying that it was too tough of a place to live and one that would “take me out” of the faith.
One of those November evenings I had dinner with a friend of mine and told her the news before going to Carry the Love, which originated in California from the Circuit Riders.
Despite her response of, “Girl, yes! You gotta go”, in my uncertainty, I shot back with, “We’ll see. I need God to show me a sign and give me confirmation.”
That evening at the Carry the Love event, a speaker went up to share his testimony of how he previously partnered with Circuit Riders. After some time with the Circuit Riders, he felt God telling him to go back home to Pennsylvania to serve his family for a season. He got comfortable in still doing the work of God there, but he suddenly started feeling compelled by God to go back to California to rejoin Circuit Riders. He explained that he was torn between going and staying to serve his family, but the tug in his heart to go was undeniable, although he tried to repress it. After reasoning with God and despite his frustration, he eventually gave God his “yes” to surrender to His plan.
As I sat
there amidst the attentive crowd during that cold night, I felt God so clearly
tell me that this time around in pursing Los Angeles, He was finally giving me the green light to go after previously being given the red light to wait in my 2017 attempt to attend college in California. The confirmation to go and pursue this journey was so clear to me and if that didn't make it any more clear, my friend that I mentioned I "needed confirmation" turned to me and jokingly commented after hearing the speaker's story, "does that clear things up?"
With all
this said, you may be wondering how this Carry the Love speaker, Brian Brennt,
and my “never have I ever”s all add up. Well, in the middle of watching the
livestream memorial service, I realized there would be no LA for me if I had
not received the green light after hearing the Carry the Love speaker share his
testimony of God’s call back to Los Angles. And there would be no Carry the
Love event and even the speaker’s wrestling with God, if Brian Brennt did not walk
with obedience to God’s prompting for him to create such a movement to lead
young people to Jesus. And if we get down to the whole point, there would be no
purpose for humanity if it were not for God sending His son Jesus and giving us
the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us.
So, in all this I am encouraged- and I hope you are too. Our simple yes to God’s plan can impact the lives
of many that we may not even get to meet until eternity. But it’s worth it for
Jesus, for His people, and for the advancement of the Kingdom of heaven. I pray
we stay faithful in the work God has us in and continue to have open ears to His
leading in every assignment He gives. We must continue to follow because we never know what’s on the other side of
our obedience.
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