Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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Every day I learn more about God, I am amazed. Our creator is the author of so much incredible, intricate beauty. And every time I explore more of who He is through scripture, through studying molecular biology of the cell, while staring up at the complex yet graceful fluid motions of the clouds forming from the mountains here in Montana or through interacting with Him on a very personal level, I am left amazed and wanting to know more. It seems the more I explore, the more not just the existence but the goodness and love of my God become undeniable!  And yet the more I begin to know about my creator and the more I know Him personally, the more I realize how much doubt and disconnect exists that still separates me from truly involving God in every area of my life. And once again, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to close that disconnect and challenge that doubt – the opportunity to choose to trust in Him and apply truth.

The past few months have been particularly frustrating for me since I’ve been accepted onto the October World Race. I had hoped to be part of a wildland fire crew here in Bozeman this summer, and when that slipped through my fingers I began looking for temporary engineering jobs in Seattle for three weeks. Returning to Bozeman to once again be part of my church here, all of the Information Technology positions available were long-term positions. Finally after a total of about two months of no work I was able to work for an asphalt company, and once again the prospect of paying off debt or at least making enough money to make payments for a year seemed within my reach. But just a week and a half ago, I landed in the hospital after cutting my foot and hitting an artery leaving me without work and more bills. Yet during these months, God has provided just enough! There have been so many days where I’ve wondered how I’ll be able to pay for food the next day or my housemates for rent, and yet every day God has blessed me with a place to live and food to eat.  I can choose to become discouraged, choose to walk away from God. But through this time, I am beginning to understand that I need to really trust God first even when I don’t understand what is before me. To no longer have control over my financial situation right now despite all my efforts has been an incredible blessing as I now look at it – because I now really do trust in my living God who wants to interact and who really does care! 

One particular night about a week ago, frustrated as I prayed to God asking for where to go next, I once again dove into scripture. You know what Jesus says?

In Matthew 21:22 he says to his disciples – “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” In Matthew 17:20 after the disciples failed to cast out a demon from a boy Jesus says “you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ‘Move from here to here’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” When Peter responded to Jesus’ prompting to walk on the water and began fearing and sinking, Jesus responded by saying “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” In Matthew 9:29 when Jesus heals to blind men, he says, “According to your faith, will it be done to you.”  Jesus says in John 14:12-14, “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Matthew 6:25-27 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”  And there’s so much more that Jesus says about trusting in Him for our daily needs, taking our concerns to Him, and having faith in Him!   
 
 
I’m tired of ideas and theories that have nothing to do with the truth.   I want real truth that I can apply every day.  There’s no point to believing in something that isn’t real; what good comes from believing an idea that can’t be tested and applied?  Can you imagine me being an expert knowing how much my climbing equipment holds but then never using it?  I’m tired of reading scripture as if it were only meant to be read – and maybe sometimes applied.  Treating Christianity as simply an idea is safe, but then I miss so much – I don’t get to see how amazing, how adventurous, how beautiful, and how deeply loving my creator really is.    

After a lot of prayer and thought, I still feel and believe that God wants me to continue working towards leaving in October even though I don’t know how all of the details will work yet … and already, God has been providing money to pay some of the hospital bills! God has given me a mind, and there definitely value in thinking through and solving challenging problems.  The very fact that we can be creative as the image bearers of our creator is amazing!  But at times, I think God removes illusions of control to once again remind me that He is far more trustworthy then my plans.

Thank you so much all of you who have provided for me financially already and have committed to praying for me – you are showing me the love of Christ in an amazing way!