| As a child, I lost my favorite Hot Wheel, the Silhouette. This loss impacted my life more than I could realize at the time. Too often our identities are formed and impacted by godless thoughts, godless words, and godless acts. But Christ! (Read “… but christ!”) |
Purple is my favorite color. There. I said it. After sixty-one years of being a closet purple-lover, it’s out there now. (Lol!) As far back as I can remember – 3, 4, 5 years-old – I’ve gravitated to things purple. The purple crayon was my “go to.” One of my first and favorite Hot Wheels was the purple Silhouette. My favorite football team as a child was the Minnesota Vikings. (Honestly, it just dawned on me that part of that attraction was their purple uniforms.) And, my oh my, purple irises are my favorite flower! From years past, I can remember purple velvet throw-pillows, purple velvet shirts and pants, and even purple yarn. (Hey, don’t laugh. It was the late 60’s and early 70’s. Hippies and all that. Haha!)
| When I saw this truck, feelings of loss and pain flooded me. I recalled my lost Hot Wheel, but I also remembered many other very painful moments. (Read “Nick, it’s time.”) |
Whether it’s “I can feel the color purple,” or, “The color purple makes me feel,” various shades of purple move and affect me in ways other colors don’t. Often taken by surprise, variations of purple will trigger memories and consequent emotions – hope, longing, loss, security, appreciation, beauty, etc. Just last week I was sitting at a stop-light in traffic and I saw in my rear-view mirror a large purple truck approaching. I couldn’t stop staring. I even snapped a picture while we were all stopped. In that moment, that purple transported me down memory lane, all the way back to my childhood (5-6 years-old). I recalled a Greyhound bus ride from Kansas City to Omaha where I happened to lose that favorite purple Hot Wheel. I loved that Hot Wheel. And honestly, a part of me still loves and longs for it. I still feel hurt and irritation that I lost it and I don’t know what happened to it. And now somehow, a sense of loss is associated with that shade of purple.
| My favorite shirt in ninth grade. This jersey became threadbare from the wear. Haha! I didn’t know my purpose ’til I found Christ. Watch “The purpose of life!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwHqxiy3yOI) |
Back to my point. Purple is my favorite color. And while today I can boldly and easily publicly confess this, I can vividly recall at an early age being a bit alarmed to discover that the most popular color was blue, and then red in a distant second. I was 6-8 years-old, but my scientific polling and research showed conclusively that not one of my family or friends said purple. (Gasp!) I thought, “Oh no! What’s wrong with me? I’m a freak! I must be wrong.” It became a secret, of sorts, and I definitely became too embarrassed to say I liked purple, so I also said blue. I conformed.
Why did I do that? Why was I embarrassed? Even ashamed? What was happening during that stage of my life? Even more so, what was the impact of that particular secret on my psyche? All that aside, I reckon the fundamental question should’ve been, “Where was God in my dilemma and confusion?” He wasn’t. So in my naiveté I chose to conform. Although I couldn’t fully understand this at the time (and because I didn’t know God, and because there was no one there to guide me with God’s truths), in reality I was choosing to surrender God’s original script for my life for that of a lesser, worldly role… a sort of self-murder, a killing of my God-given identity. (Sigh) Too often, conformity is a form of compromise. (Read Romans 12:2. Two different translations.)
▪Rom 12:2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes. (TPT)
▪Rom 12:2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (The Msg)
So what’s the big deal? After all, doesn’t everyone need to fit in? To some degree, yes, but conformity is contrary to true identity. In Shattering the Gods Within, David Allen, M.D. writes, “Conformity is a powerful pseudo god in modern culture, and the cause is our lack of acceptance or appreciation of our own identity. This creates a frantic effort to please and follow others to establish meaning, dignity, identity, and value. As a result, we become outer-controlled rather than inner-directed.”
Truly, we come into this world full of questions and holes which only God is qualified to answer and fill. But honestly, to what degree is our MDIV (Meaning, Dignity, Identity, Value) – in thoughts, actions, words – shaped and guided by the Word of God? By contrast, how frequently and how naively do we – Christians and non-Christians – trade our God-given identities for substandard identities because we don’t know God or His Word? Each person is an original masterpiece created by God! Examine just a few foundational words from the Lord. (Emphasis/Caps mine)
▪For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things HE PLANNED for us long ago. (Eph 2:10)
▪You saw who You created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days YOU PLANNED for me were already recorded in Your book. Every single moment You are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that You cherish me constantly in Your every thought! O God, Your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, You’re still with me. (Ps 139:16-18)
▪From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. HE DECIDED beforehand when they should rise and fall, and HE DETERMINED their boundaries. “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him — though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ (Ac 17:26-28)
▪Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE CALLING WITH WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED. (Eph 4:1)
▪FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11)
▪And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and LET THEM HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.( Gen 1:26)
▪“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the LORD. “I WILL PUT MY INSTRUCTIONS DEEP WITHIN THEM, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jer 31:33)
God made the plans for our lives! He is the Author of our scripts! However, when we don’t learn God… and because our natural tendency is to quickly avoid pain (embarrassment, failure, inadequacies, weakness, ignorance), our self-preservation mode kicks in and we create deep-rooted habits of clinging to things other than God for rescue. To our peril, we learn to trust in and depend on self rather than God… and “dependence on self” equates to “a life independent of God.” Adam and Eve demonstrated this explicitly in Genesis 3:1-13. All the while, Proverbs 3:5 exhorts us to trust in the Lord with all our heart.
We all have areas of our lives – Meaning, Dignity, Identity, Value – that are godless. It’s in these godless areas of our lives that we wrestle with the world in an attempt to “prove our worth,” when the reality is we wrestle to “disprove our feelings of worthlessness” simply because God isn’t there. I’ve learned, and I tell people often, that the two most important pieces of knowledge we can possess is 1) Knowledge of Who God is, and 2) Knowledge of who you are to God. Purple is my favorite color because that’s the way God made me.
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Communion
| Garrett facilitating Communion for the Saints. So thankful that God made a way for us to commune with Him. Watch “You are an original masterpiece!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb1JKdSJR8c&t=11s) |
| Conner ushering us into Communion. How utterly baffling it can be that a most holy God would bid us come into His presence. (Read “The grace of God is bigger than my ____?”) |
Hungry for Discipleship!
| Prayer is more powerful than most of us realize. A few years back, the LORD gave me a vision of the power of prayer. (Read “Pray! Pray now!”) |
| These men and women are diligent in their pursuit of Christ. Our Bible studies are time well spent. Watch short video “Spend your time wisely.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKA1_LImfys&t=22s) |
“Fix bayonets!”
| Hey you! Christian! Are you honestly living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ? (Php 1:27) Read “Stolen Valor” |
| Christians vs. Critics. Role-playing common objections to Christ and the gospel. These drills are very effective in improving their ability to initiate and contend with arguments from the lost. Watch “It’s your move!” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66M5JOHFftc) |
A Powerful Testimony from Dennis
Praying over the United States!
| Each pin in this US map represents someone who has been discipled here at Zebulun. Read (“One Nation, Under God”) |
| I urge our men and women (only two genders, btw) to constantly and vibrantly pray over the United States. Daily, America is being assaulted by godless people. What a privilege it is to serve the LORD here and then launch these people into the world and into the good fight! Read “The Fruits of Persecution… and America” |
Fellowship, Fam, & Food!
| The Zebulun Family! With Father’s Day just around the corner, reflect on the gift of fathers – Heavenly, Earthly, & Spiritual. Good fathers are vital to order, safety, and love. (Read “Maybe, if they had a Pastor…”) |
| Back in Dec/Jan, I believe the LORD gave me the theme for 2023. This theme still stands! The LORD still longs for you, and He continues to call you and draw you into deeper intimacy with Him. (Read “Prepare for 2023!”) |
Agree with us in Prayer:
| The Zebulun Fam is alive, and well, and activated! These men and women take the commission of Christ (Mk 16:15) seriously and are deeply engaged in the good fight. (Read “Leaving It For Someone Else?”) |
a. For the prisoners in the Brig, that Christ is being preached, souls are being saved, and disciples are being made.
b. For Mature, Qualified Families and Permanent Personnel to co-labor with us in this northern-most, remote area of Okinawa. Henoko/Schwab outreach carries a constant rebuilding nature due its location, high turnover rate, and operational tempo. We literally rebuild a congregation every six months and gather new members. Pray for the discipling and releasing of more laborers into the harvest here. Pray for our strength, wisdom, and resources as weekly we gather sheep and convert goats.
c. For our current schedule, i.e. finances, resources, wisdom, strategies, and strength:
▪ Sun: Share/Report Christians In Action ministries
▪ Mon: Radical & Relevant (R&R) @1900
▪ Wed: Publish YouTube Videos (Channel: YahwehHasASon)
▪ Thu: Publish Think On These Things newsletters
▪ Sat: Zebulun Christian Discipleship Center (ZCDC) @1800
▪Make a Donation
▪Facebook Live Ministry Videos
“Make a Donation!”
Sandy and I simply started “building” here in Okinawa by faith. We started making disciples back in 2000 with a small Bible study on Futenma Air Station. Since then, God continues to increase our territory. As I just stated, we’re here completely by faith. Financial support has been in decline, yet the ministries and souls seem to increase every week. Financially, we need your help. Please consider partnering with us in these works. Make a Donation (https://cinami.org/missionary/guerra-nick-sandy/)
In closing…
| This guy here is truly blessed! However, the today-Nick and the 80s-Nick are two different people. A year ago I was in the Camp Lejeune area and the memories flooded my mind. I wrestled with mixed emotions from “pain and shame” to “humility and gratefulness.” Read I am a changed man (“old-nick” vs. “new-nick”). |
Beloved, His grace and peace to you! Your prayers are precious to us. Sandy and I humbly thank you.
So, we continue to press the attack and recover all that was lost – souls, marriages, health. Hostilities and resistance increase, but so does the light, love, and power of Christ! Many men and women continue to be transformed by His Word and His love.
We need your help. Financial support continues to decline, yet ministerial demands have not. Please consider partnering with us in these works. Donations can be made online through Christians In Action. Or, you can mail contributions to the address listed below.
I declare that you will not fear because the LORD is with you! You will not be dismayed, for the LORD is your God! The LORD will strengthen you and He will help you! The LORD will uphold you with His righteous right hand! (Isa 41:10)
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In His grip,
Nick & Sandy Guerra, Bond-servants of Christ
Contributions can be mailed to:
Dominic Guerra (Acct# 426)
c/o Christians In Action, Missions International
1300 E. Shaw Ave., Suite 135
Fresno, CA 93710-7904
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— Our Mission & Vision —
“Gather Sheep & Convert Goats!”
“Catch, Clean, & Release!”
ZCDC 