The Lookback

And so we reach that time of year where everyone looks back in order to look forward. 2009 is coming to an end and 2010 is straight ahead. So, nows the time for me to make my final post of the year, and it's only fitting that my final post for the year be me looking back on this year. Before we begin, let me point out that I am not the type of person who records moments in a journal, I really wish I was, but I just can't will myself to do it. So, this entire post will be off the top of my head as think about what this year means to me.

This year didn't start out on the best of notes. Things fell apart with a girl I liked and I was losing sight of God. The main reason things didn't work out was because I had lost sight of God. I had become so enamored with this girl that it interfered with God. Let me tell you now if you haven't caught it yet. No person can fill the void that God can. Your not whole until you know God and you won't be able to truly love until you know the one who designed it. With the help of some amazing friends and an awesome mentor I got back on track and I haven't looked back.

The rest of Janurary and Feburary are a blur, I only remember lots of struggles and lots of arguments and tons of prayers. March brought Acquire the Fire, my first time going to the event. If you don't know, ATF is a traveling group of bands and speakers that go around the country and tear it up! While there I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Nick Vujicic speak.

Nick is a very special man, you see, Nick was born without any arms or feet. (With the exception of a little foot, he likes to call the chicken wing.) Despite this setback, Nick has more faith than most of us who have both our arms and legs. His passion is visible just by looking at him and he loves his life. What Nick showed me, is probably the same thing he can show you. It doesn't take arms or legs to make a difference, it takes heart. All you need to change the world, is heart. I can say, that if it wasn't for ATF, especially Nick, I probably would have relapsed back into sin. But, they inspired me and kept me going forward. I can only hope they do the same to you.

April and May were uneventful, then came June and with it Internship at my church. To be honest with you, Internship was rather uneventful. Don't get me wrong, I love that my church takes the time to teach us, but nothing big happened in Internship, they happened during Internship. Camp came at the end of June, but that too was rather uneventful. The summer seemed to be filled with fun moments, but nothing big, then I went to Costa Rica.

I've talked about Costa Rica twice already, most of what can be said has already been said. But, I'll let you in on a secret. I'm still in Costa Rica, not physically, of course, but my heart and mind remain there. That will never change, I'll always remember the look on people's faces when we built them a new home, the children who had such joy in their hearts despite their conditions. The blood, sweat, and passionate fury that helped us all work together to achieve one goal. Guess, there was still stuff to say about Costa Rica.

The rest of the year went by fast from there a couple small events happening here or there, but the one constant thing remained, I continued to grow in God. Let me tell you right now that I have to be one of the luckiest people on the planet. I have a church that strives to make a difference in the world, amazing friends who I can call at any time and they would be there, and most importantly, a God who loves me. He loves you to, and if you get anything from this post, this whole blog, get this. God loves you and he'll never stop loving you. He wants the best for your life. If you don't believe it, look at me, I can't believe how much he's done in my life, just in this year. So, here's to God and here's to one awesome new year! 2010 here we come!

The 2009 Swannies!

First, let me apologize for my absence, I'm sure all 3 of you who regularly read this blog were disappointed that I didn't post the entire month of November and barely posted in this month. I've been very busy and haven't had the time to blog. But, you can take solace in the fact that I am back and will be trying to post as much as possible, I have lot of great posts floating around in my head and 2010 is going to be the year of Swanson!  But, before I can focus my attention on 2010 I have to look back on 2009. So I created my own award show! The Swannies, in which, I give away awards to those who I think earned them and made a big impact on me this year. Let's go!

Album of the Year: Church Music - David Crowder* Band

It was a tough decision but David Crowder and company earned it, unlike the Hillsong and Switchfoot releases, this one was solid from beginning to end. Probably because every song flowed into the other! It was the only album this year that had no song I disliked. To those who say Church Music has no real worship songs, I challenge you to really listen to the album. Every song on here is worship, DC*B is a band that is unafraid to try new things. Something the rest of the Christian music should really try to do.

Song of the Year: Tear Down the Walls - Hillsong United

2009 was one great music year and this was the toughest choice for me. While Crowder's "How He Loves" was filled with worship and Switchfoot's "Your Love is a Song" was powerful, "Tear Down the Walls" was the only song this year that combined both fluently. It immediately makes you want to get up and change the world. Like Hillsong's "With Everything," this song continues to build on itself until it explodes with power. It makes you want to jump up, run around, and lift up your voice. This song shouts and demands to be heard. That's why it's the Song of the Year, possibly the decade.

Band of the Year: David Crowder* Band

David Crowder* Band has always been original and has always defied the stereotype of Christian music. But this year they did it tenfold. Crowder and his ragtag group of musical geniuses crafted not only the best album of the year but set forth the challenge to all of Christian music. Are you going to defy the stereotype or live by it. Crowder has taken the old rules of what Christian music should be and thrown them out the window. What Crowder and the band showed everybody this year, is that the music doesn't have to sound the same to be worship, that we can all defy the stereotypes by being original.


Best Show on TV: Glee

Some people might be offended by this pick, and the show in general. I've heard many people say many things about Glee and most of the time, they're right. Glee does feature sex jokes, Glees does talk about Teen Pregnancy, and Glee does feature blatant stereotypes. But there's more to Glee than this. The underlying message of Glee is one everybody can relate to. Stand up and be who you are. Don't be what people tell you to be, be yourself. For that alone Glee is head and shoulders above the rest of TV.

Biggest Surprise: We're giving away a what?!?!?


The biggest surprise for me this year came from my church. Around the month of October word has started to circulate that our youth group, Revolution would be moving to one weekend service on Saturday. To make the change easier for everyone and get new people, they decided to give away a car! That's right, my youth group is giving away a car! The truth of the matter is this, most unsaved people won't come to church if they don't have a reason to. What better reason to come than getting the chance to win a new car! To those who go to Revolution: You have no reason to not invite somebody, go out and take a leap of faith, you'll be surprised what you find.

Best Part of the Year: Costa Rica


I had the distinct pleasure to spend a week in Costa Rica, and it changed my life. I never truly left Costa Rica, parts of me are still there, and always will be. And I know that I made a difference in people's lives, who may have never known God if it wasn't for us. But, the most important part of the trip, were the people. They had almost nothing and yet their loved life, how many times do you see that in America. I wish everyone could see what I saw in Costa Rica. I wish everyone's hearts could break like mine did. I look forward to going on another missions trip next year, and hopefully it fills me with the same joy and hope the Costa Rica did.

There you have, this is my best of 2009. Some of you will agree, others will disagree, that's what the comment section is for. Seriously, give me your comments, tell me what you would have put. I wait for your replies and wish you all a Merry Christmas and, if you don't see me before, a Happy New Year!

What's a Testimony??

As the title suggests, I'm starting a new series the will have guest writers sharing their testimonies. That said before we do that, I thought it would be important to explain what a testimony is.

To put it simply, a testimony, is the story of what God's done in your life. In other words, it's the story of how and why your a Christian. But, why is it important?

Our testimonies are the most important thing we have as Christians, because nobody can refute it. People can claim that God doesn't exist and can say that Christianity is just another "made-up" religion, but they can never refute your testimony. Don't get me wrong, they mock it and say it didn't really happen, but deep down they'll know you were telling the truth and eventually, the truth will get to them. You see, our testimony is the best resource we have to win people to Christ.

Some of you might say, "But how can my testimony make a difference, nothing important has happened to me." That's where we miss it, we think that all testimonies have to be stories of being cured from cancer or being set free from drugs. We neglect how powerful the testimony of growing up poor or in a single parent household can be to people. People can relate to those testimonies more because more people have experienced those situations.

No matter what the story, your testimony has power. Now, how are you using that power?

Costa Rica

I recently had the pleasure to be involved in my first missions trip. Since returning home I've been thinking of the perfect way to describe to those who didn't go, how awesome and life-changing the trip was. But then it hit me, there is no perfect way to describe it. Simple words won't help you understand how great the trip was, because the trip was pure emotion. That's what a missions trip is all about. It's about forgetting the culture, forgetting what the world says and going out and making a difference in someones life.

Now, I could spend the rest of this blog telling you all the awesome and amazing things that happened there, but it wouldn't matter. Most of you reading weren't there. Instead of telling funny and crazy stories that won't affect your lives in any real way, I'm going to stick to telling you the lasting impact we made there.

In just 1 week, we made 2 homes for 2 families, that otherwise would have nothing. It was all possible because of God. God used us to make an impact on these families and that community. Every time people look and see these houses, they'll be reminded of the 20+ Americans who gave up a week of their lives so they could change someone else's. Those houses will stand as a symbol of what God does for his people. Those homes will be the symbol of hope for that community.

If you've ever asked yourself, "why should I go on a missions trip?" here's the answer. At the end, after all the hard-work, after the proverbial "sweat and tears." Your reward is seeing those families, seeing how thankful they are that you did this, seeing their hope restored and their faith renewed and the overwhelming joy you feel in your heart. That, my friend's, is what a missions trip is all about.

Life as Death (Part 3)

We are at war. Not just the war you see on the news everyday, as Christians we are at way with the Devil. I know it sounds cheesy, but there is a Devil and he's trying to cause you pain and make you fall into Sin. The Devil's goal is for you to fall away from God.

Once you become a Christian, you become the Devil's target. Now, those may sound like reasons to not give your life to God, but, like I explained last post, Jesus freed us from Death and Sin, the Devil's main weapons. God has made us triumphant over Sin and Death.

Don't be confused, coming to God isn't freedom from Sin and Death, It's being given the power to defeat them. The Devil will countinue to tempt you and try to cause trouble. But, don't falter, stay strong in the Lord. Put all your strength in the Lord, surrender to him fully, and the Devil will never be able to stop you.

Life After Death (Part 2)

So why do we have death? We have death because of the sin that's in our world and Sin originated from Adam and Eve.

"But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge and good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die"

Genesis 2:17 (NIV)

God wasn't lying, because when Adam ate from that tree Sin was brought to Earth and death came upon us. Because of this we are separated from God, in fact, that's why Jesus came.

Jesus came to give us access to God. Before Jesus, people could not talk to God without covering they're face because of their sins. Jesus came to take all of our sins and give us power over them.

Before Jesus, the temples of God had a veil over them to signify man's separation from God. When Jesus died that veil was torn from top to bottom. Because of Jesus, Sin and death have no power. Jesus rose from the grave and conquered them. Most importantly, Jesus gave everyone access to heavean, as long as they believe that Jesus died for them. It's that simple. Because of Jesus, we all can have hope for the future.

A Camp Intermisson

As the title suggests, I'm taking a break from our current series to reflect on camp.

For those who don't know, I had the pleasure of going, for the 2nd year in a row, to the SummerScream camp in Illinois. It was a fun experience (though some would disagree.) Here are some of the highlights from the week.

• All week we had Pastor Larry Battencourt teach us on our Identity, and he tore it up! If you know anyone who went ask them about the fish and the egg.
• People gave there lives to Christ and got filled with the Holy Spirit. It's awesome to think about how much they're live are going to change because of these decisions.
• I prayed for people (and got prayed for) in the Holy Spirit. If you think it's awesome to pray for people normally wait until you do it in tongues!
• Got to meet and hang out with friends, old and new. Ask me sometime and I might explain to you what Ryan Nuzzo's late night talk show would be like.
• Ice Cream Twix, heaven in my mouth.
• Shredding our struggles in a shredder and deciding to rise above them.
• Celebrating a year fully-devoted to God. Time to go for number 2!

Well that's pretty much it, but before I go, I want to encourage everyone who went to camp to share their favorite moments, the things that changed their lives, and your general thoughts on camp. God wants to do big things in all of your lives, and I'm excited to see where he takes you.

Life After Death (Part 1)

Death, it's a topic that we don't hear about often, but what I want to do with this series is teach those who don't know what the bible says about death. So, why don't we start with what the culture tells us about death.

One thing you might constantly notice about death, as the world sees it, is that there is a fear surrounding it. The world tells us that because we don't really know what happens after we die, we should fear death. But you wanna hear a secret? I really know what happens when you die and I really believe it. I know, without a doubt in my mind, that when I die I will go to Heaven, where I see the Lord face to face and get to see all of the people whose lives I've changed. When you think about that, what do you have to fear? The only people who are afraid of death are the people who don't know where they're going when they die. Our culture doesn't want us to think about death until the last minute, why else would they try to sell us products to look younger. I want you to get atleast one thing from this post and it's this. You will die one day, don't hold off thinking about it and instead spend everyday knowing that your time here is temporary. Finally, I want to end with a quote from someone who has influenced my life immensely, and I never even met him.

"When you learn how to die, you learn how to live"

-Morrie Schwartz

Our Battlecry

Everyday thousands of people cry out, people who need love, people who need hope, people who need a saviour. The question is, who is going to tell these people that there is a saviour, who brings both love and hope? Who is going to show these people that they can be all they ever dreamed they could be? The answer is, us, all of us.

We are all called by God to touch the lives of the lost, to heal the sick and the broken, to show his unfailing love to all of the world.

This message goes out to all believer's, God has big things planned, but if we don't rise up and follow him, they'll never get accomplished. God is planning a movement that will take the world by storm. For this movement to succeed, he needs believers that are devoted to his cause. So, I beg of you, do not wait, be all God has called you to be NOW!!!
Start pursuing the plans he has for you. Start living the life he's called you to. Take your place in this movement not later, but now!

Do not be mistaken, this is not a blog post, this is our Battlecry!
This is not a blog post, this is the spark that will start a cultural movement, that Satan himself can't stop.
This is not a blog post, this is a revolution!

Pride (Part 3)

"Pharaoh said 'who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go."

Exodus 5:2 (NIV)

I'm sure most of you reading know the story of Moses and his constant attempts to free Israel from the hand of Egypt. If you read on it say a number of times that Pharaoh's heart was hardened each time Moses asked for Israel's freedom. Pride is one of the many reasons we harden our hearts to God.

Pride usually come from selfishness, the Pharaoh was being selfish when he decided to keep the Israelites as his slaves, because he didn't know God, he didn't fear or humble himself before him. If we humble ourselves and go after everything God has for us, we set up the foundation to make a real change in the world.God doesn't want us to be prideful, because he knows that if we become to occupied with ourselves there will be no room for others, or even him!

So, I urge you to keep your pride in check everyday, always make sure your doing the things God wants. Always remember that serving others keeps pride from controling you, and what more could you ask for?

Pride (part 2: I'm sorry)

Looking back, pride had a big influence on how I lived my life. There were times when I would get into an argument when I knew the other person was right. I would get into these arguments not because I thought that person was wrong, but because I wanted to get the final say. I'm ashamed to say, that I still find myself doing this from time to time. The only difference between then and now is that, now I have God living inside of me. See, God is that little voice in my heart that when I get into an argument tells me, "Jesse, your wrong" or "Jesse, you shouldn't be doing this," and he's the one that tells me "Jesse, you should say sorry."

So, what exactly makes the words "I'm sorry" so special, and what does it have to do with pride? Well, the reason it means so much is because it shows tha your letting go of your pride and asking for forgivness. Now, keep in mind that say your sorry doesn't solve everything. If you cheat on your wife or steal money from your mom, simply saying "I'm sorry" isn't going to work (even if you really mean it.) But, in a society where people think it's a chore to hold the door open for someone, saying "I'm sorry" means alot.

Next week, we'll conclude the series by examining the Pharaoh and how his pride cost him.

Pride (part 1)

Pride, everyone has pride, but to what extent? Well, before we can answer that question we need to ask another, what exactly is pride? That one can be answered by my trusty friend, the dictionary.

Pride - An unduly opinion in oneself; arrogance

Now that we know the definition it might not come as a surprise when I say, that your pride can directly interfere in your walk with God. See, there is a big difference between being filled with pride for yourself and being filled with pride for others, the difference is God.

So, when does pride begin to separate us from God? We'll look into that next week.