Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4 has been a life verse for me for a long time. It is the main reason I live in Ohio right now.

I remember the day I decided to take a leap of faith and commit to coming to Off The Wall Ministry.

A little background on my journey to OTW:
My best friend, and the closest thing I have to a brother, Mike Tulimiero, had invited me to come up to his school, Portsmouth Christian Academy, in Dover, New Hampshire to hear this guy named Don Stubbs speak. It was March 2009, just one year ago. It was around Easter, and Don had been speaking at PCA's spiritual epmhasis week for about 3 or 4 years. Don used to work in the inner city of Chicago helping street kids for 17 years with Inner City Impact, and a ministry that he co-launched called GRIP.

In the summer of 2008, Mike and his brother, Chris, were invited by Don to spend a week in Chicago helping GRIP. At the time, Don was mentoring this weird white guy from Ohio who thinks he is black and is really good at basketball, being ripped, driving a sick Mazda and just about everything else he does named Travis.

I remember the day Mike left for Chicago. I was in his kitchen. We were talking. He couldn't stop raving about how cool and godly this guy Don was. All Mike really needed to say was that Don was black and loves Jesus. That would have been enough for me. But he continued to talk about Don for an hour, so naturally, I put up with him and listened. (I wanted to tell him to shut up so we could go play Frisbee or something after he had been talking for 45 minutes. I don't even think I got a full sentence in that conversation.)

It is funny. That day in the kitchen, Mike was leaving for Chicago for his first short term mission trip. The next day, I left for New Orleans for my first short term mission trip. God used both of those mission trips to teach us a lot.

So about 3 weeks later we both we back in Hamilton. I think we had a sleepover. Oh yeah... he slept over my house. We walked down to my old elementary school at 1 am. My parents didn't know.

I remember just sitting on these rocks, looking up into the heavens with by best friend. Mike marveled at how in love with Jesus Don is. I just sat there, listening to Mike, marveling at God's handiwork in the night sky. (I think I was listening that night.)

Anyway, flash forward a year to last March. Mike invited me to go to PCA for the Easter service. Don was speaking and Mike was leading worship. The Easter service was on a Friday. I remember I got a call the Monday night from Mike. He asked me if I wanted to come up the next day because there was a small get together at Collen Bressen's house with about 10 PCA students. Don and Travis were going to be there. So I told Mike I obviously would skip school the next day. Mike's Dad picked me up, drove me an hour up to NH. I remember that day so vividly. That was one of a few divine appointments in my life that changed everything. I always wonder what God was doing that day. He was probably smiling. I never knew that that interaction with Don Stubbs would change the direction of my life forever.

Mike and I pulled up to the Bressen's, house. I walked up to the door. It was a huge house. As I walked in, I saw a ripped black guy smiling, sitting on a stool with sweat pants and jeans. That was the first time I saw Don Stubbs. Next to him was the weird white guy from Ohio who was good at everything and used to work for the Charlotte Bobcats, Travis. I sat down next to Don. After Mike introduced me, Don looked directly at me, and grinned. "What are the three thing you appreciate the most about Mike, Josh?" he asked.

I was a little surprised, after all I was sitting among 10 kids that I did not really know, asked on the spot to compliment my best friend. So I told Don that Mike is ripped. Everyone sort of laughed, because they all knew it was true. Don said something like "Yeah... Mike T is pretty jacked." Travis just smiled. Personally, I think Travis was a little jealous because Mike was in better shape then him at the time. I don't know about now. I will have to find out. I will make both of them wrestle or something.

Anyway, the night went on. I just remember sitting there, listening to Don talk about Jesus. Every now and then Travis would give some really awesome insight. I had never met to men who were really really cool and loved Jesus. After about an hour of hanging out, everyone started to leave. I asked Don if I could spend the night. He said I could only if we talked about Jesus all night. I was more than fine with that, but Mike and I had to go.

The next day, PCA had 5 hours of standardized testing. So I was left alone at the school from 6 till 11. I remember there was this inlet of water near the school, and this rocky shore. I walked down there, and read my bible. A few hours later, I found myself laying in a field looking up at the sky, just thanking God for all the things he had done in my life.

Then I got the call. It was Mrs. T. She told me that Don wanted to talk to me. He and Travis were waiting in the library. So I got up, ran as fast as I could to the library, and found Don and Travis sitting there with coffee. I sat down. Don asked me about my plans for next year.

At the time, I wanted to spend my year off with Youth With a Mission, hiking and living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California for 3 months, and then going on a 3 month mission trip do work with an orphanage and share the gospel with the people of Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. What I really wanted was an adventure. I wanted escape. I wanted to leave the little down I grew up in. I did not want to ask God what He wanted for me.

So I told Don about YWAM. And then He described Off The Wall, and that he had just launched it with Travis in Holmes County, Ohio. He told me that it is an open door if YWAM doesn't ever work out. Don never persuaded me to come. He did not even ask me. He just said that it is an open door.

So I went home and told my parents all about Don and Trav and OTW. They were interested, so on Good Friday, we drove back up to NH so my family could meet them. Don and Trav ended up driving back down and spending the night with my family at my house in Hamilton.

I prayed about what do to for 2 months. Go to YWAM or go with OTW. I was expecting God to write me a letter and spell out what His will was for me. The funny thing is, He already wrote the best Love Letter in the world that does explain His will for me...the Bible.

I remember this day so vividly. I had just come home from school. I was sitting in my truck. I needed to make a decision. I asked God to give me something. So I flipped open the Bible. I have always loved the Psalms. I usually read them every morning. I went to Psalm 37, one I had not read for a while. Then I saw it. Verse 4. "Delight your self in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." If my delight is in God, then it was okay for me to go to Ohio. So I called up Don, and told Him I was coming. 2 weeks later, I got a call from the director of YWAM Bishop. He told me that the base was not running that year because of some leadership issues and that he would refund my application check.

That was not the only time Psalm 37:4 spoke to me. But this blog is running a little long. And I am going to go for a run because the sun is shining. Spring in New Philly is really beautiful, especially at Tuscora Park. The jungle gym is always really inviting. I just hope no one tells me to get off because I am not 5 years old. Oh well.


That's it for now,

JN