what if

last week i was talkin to one of my instructors, her name is Heather Protz and she is an incredible artist, i was expressing to her my lack of inspiration as of late. dont get me wrong its not that i don't love grabbing my camera and goin out to shoot, or putting images together, or making prints or my work, or anything else that goes along with my art. its not even that i feel that my art just sucks. i simply feel uninspired.

webster defines uninspired as - Having no intellectual, emotional, or spiritual excitement. i am not depressed or upset, i am just not excited! really i feel utterly normal, and i dont do well with normal. i feel mundane and unsure how to get out of my apparent funk?

as i shared these thoughts with heather, without hesitation she said

"micah art isnt always about inspiration lots of times its about just doing it."

wow that hit me like a semi! who could have thought it was that easy. who could have imagined that i simple can press forward and create? i mean really why must i be on some whimsical high to produce great art? i think in your life and in mine if we waited around till we were i some state of magical euphoric thought to live and create there would be alot less change and beauty taking place and much more self loathing(which might explain why we wear black some days)! but for me many times i sit on my butt and wait for some lighting bolt of innovation to hit me in the face.

its like that in my art in my life and in my walk with God. i feel as if i sit around and wait on someone else to move then i can do my best to ride their wave/to be their partner in the race/a game of leap frog. but what if instead i decided that the only thing between me and great art is my willingness to go. the only thing stopping me from knowing and loving Jesus more is me. the only thing that stops me for living life with all ive got is myself!

what if today we picked up or tools(camera, brush, song, pen, computer, guitar) and started living a life worth talkin about? what if we quit living in stories that are small and insignificant, and started to experience BIG life changing stories? what if we stop waitin on heavenly bombs of creation, and instead got off our couches and started being a part of the beauty that ever surrounds us!

what if right now we reaized that we need not wait on catalyst for you and i have in deepest parts have be given the essence of inspiration!

GO.LOVE.CREATE.

see ya soon

micah

journey to a unknown course

im back home for almost a month now and i dont yet know to the full extent what ive seen an heard and felt but i do know ive been changed. by the western standard im not sure my change is for the better, but i know that i have seen a clearer picture of who Jesus is and therefore i can not be the same i as once was.

the world is big and beautiful and God is found in all of it. i have seen Him in tent meeting and tattoo shops, boat rides across africa and bar tenders in las vegas, in the faces of missionaries and misfits, it rings so true of what peter say in John6 "where can we go from Your spirit? You alone have words that bring eternal life." i have seen and driank deep in eternal life! and just as many times ive pushed away from that table and drank shallow in what i thought was better! my sad attempts at self-preservation result in neglecting the beauty set before me!

how can we judge a days worth until we have seen the end of it? i think i find myself more times than not seeing the bad in mess im in, and completely over lookin the kingdom God is creatin here in the midst of our lives, its dirty/messy/sloppy/glorious!

i feel God is doing something in new in me an overhaul/transformation/reshaping. right now i feel the eagerness/angst like seein a empty canvas, or a brand new photo site, but i sense life is changin directions my exit is comin close, with every turn of the wheel my heart shifts. what if today is the day we look back and see that we got off I-15 and hit I-70 and now we arent far from where we are but our corse is drastically different? what if today, why not today, what if us, why not us!

in my experience ive had many more "still small voice" times than "fire/light/earthquake times", our road sign may not be huge with flashy lights, but i also trust that it will be just small and insignificant to never be missed. life is comin its here fight and laugh and cry, get ready change is near to us keep both hands on the wheel. open your eyes there is a glorious messy heaven that you can live in right now.

only at the end of a day can we judge its worth!

thanks billy

see ya soon

micah

take heart

friend, Jesus is alive and at work! i am being transformed by the gospel! wow God is BIG!
friends take heart "He has the words that bring eternal life"
love someone like Jesus would today
i have to run
you are missed
i love you all
micah

bring the RAIN

it has been a wild week here in Joburg. we have seen heard and done so much. i have been overwhelmed by the power and love us Jesus.

friday they took us to game park one of the few places in the world that you can play with loin cubs. these guys were like 1 month old and i saw one pounce and also kill this 3 year old (it was awesome/terrifying) then i got to feed a giraffe that was crazy too, their tounges are forever long. i saw a real african loin... it was a monster, me and ben keep saying we were gonna fight one while we were here... we lied, i mean there is NO chance (Mr Lion im sorry for talkin smack- You sir are king. but ben said you a chump, eat him!)

saturday was our last night at our tent meeting we been part of all week. and God gave us the most beautiful sunset ever to let us know He was coming to meet with us. our time of worship was incredible as we sang in "Ndebele" its so amazing to sang to God in words you cant understand, but know that He hears you, and loves it. it has been awesome to see the people change of the corse of 4 nights. just before we left the Pastors wife said that God had brought us here just for them. what great perspective! i was reminded of the barbarian way, and that God has called me to be part of a tribe called FORWARD. we were blessed by those people.

sunday we went to Lattex Rain Church in Kwaggafontein. when we started the service Pastor Sibanyoni said "God doesnt visit the praise of His people, He inhabits the praise of His people."

so we sang and danced and shouted and gave and prayed and encouraged and loved on Jesus! and He came down and meet with us. i got to teach after all that for a few minutes and once again, told the people Jesus offers us a chance for rescue for new life. He came the He might speak restoration into our brokenness. after me Rogers got up and brought the rain like WOW! we prayed for vision and life to be on the people and God moved.

after church we had to say goodbye to dirk and rogers, and it was hard. these men have guided us, thus far on our trip, but more over they have loved on us! these men are HEROS of the faith, and i am honored to now them, and blessed to call them friends.

God has brought me 16,000 miles from home. i have spoken His life into darkness, hurt and despair. we have seen and heard and done great things.... but greater thing are yet to come. if i have learned anything thus far in Africa, it is that God brought me here not to change Africa, but to transform me

i love you guys

see ya soon

micah

lotjani

LOTJANI = HELLO

day 1 & 2 are now in the books and wow it has been incredible/breathe taking/terrifying. i have seen children intrenched in poverty, but overwhelmed by happiness; i've seen special needs kids in great need, but with smiles like the sunrise; and today my heart more than broke at the sight of bloodstained hospital hallways. i've never seen anything like this, our Jesus is alive and well and He is moving here. even in a place like Vegas where God is workin in big and miraculous ways things are different in Africa, Jesus is alive in peoples faces and He is moving in their hearts!

day 1 was incredible we got to pray with 800+ students, teachers, police, prisoners, orphans, pastors, and countless others. we've been able share at many schools in our 2 days and on day 1 i was given the chance to talk to about 50 high school kids, i spoke from john 4 & 5 a lame man i need of healing and the woman at the well. both in desperate need of life, but both not realizing who they were standing with. the man answering Jesus' offer for help with i can't, and the woman said You have nothing to draw with. Jesus stands in from of them... and us saying do you want rescue, while we just set in our junk/sin/death, sayin "Jesus You cant" and then i was able to share that Jesus still wants to free us/ heal us/ restore us. it was incredible as may students responded to the chance for rescue.

day 2 was equally amazing we had opportunity visit to a hospital. we were able to encourage the staff, people that see death and brokenness everyday, we shared that Gods story is one of brokenness being restored. then we went to pray with patients , our hearts wept as we cried out for Gods favor and healing. my faith has never been tested like that i found myself praying over and over like Peter "God i believe but help me with my unbelief"

i have been praying that God would unite my heart with the people here, even when i dont understand their language. tonight at a service i felt that God began that process in me as my "mfooth" (aka brother) Rogers taught completely in Zulu but i felt strangely connected. it is blowin my mind to see God at work and His kingdom expanding all over the world.

friends, God is alive and at work, join Him where You are! join His restoration and bring new life. You are in my prayers!

see ya soon

micah

im in the South... of Africa

as David Crowder plays in my ears we come up on hour number 14 of the flight and Africa greets me with the sunset. it has been long I won't lie, but i've watched Benjamin Button, taken, and two lovers; I have slept and read Larry Crab, Shane Caliborne, and CS Lewis; but I have only stood but once (thus I have cankels)
I have know idea what the next 6 weeks will hold, but I am reminded that just for me Jesus came. if I share that love with simply one person I feel like my trip will not be fullfilled.

as I prayed in the months leading up to Africa I had a chance to pray with one of mentors named Stane Gibson. out of the hundereds of prayers I prayed his stands out. Stane said over and over "God, You are worth it... moving to Vegas or Delware, or stayin in the place you are now, servering right where you are, or going around the world, talkin to everybody you meet or spendin time tell one, God You are worth it.... " as I land in South Africa those words run through my head and heart.
dear God, use me, work in me that You might work through me! my I stand amazed that I might love You more & love people more!

see ya soon
micah

on the road.... again

dear friends its been much to long since last i wrote. and now even as i write this i am excited and very busy as i have and continue to to have friends arrive. we have, for the last few months gearing up for our summer camp which starts on monday. today however im stoked today because my friend from athens, frankie is coming in town tonight, which is always exciting because frankie is one of the most fun people know, and i cant wait see her.

so with sumer camp almost underway i find it hard to focus on anything else, however the day we get back from camp i pack my things again and fly to southern africa for six weeks. i cant even being to tell you whats goin on inside my head (but i struggle to do that almost always). i cant wait to see what God does in the next week to rock my world, and to even start to talk about Africa is way out of my league at this point.

so i guess i write to you to say that by plane. train, and automobile im on the move goin who knows where, doing who know what, but i couldnt be happier i thrive in being spontaneous! as my friend tyler wrote so brilliantly "come hell or high water ill find you, ill find you" that is my goal that is my mission!

see ya soon

micah