Jamaica 2012

Have you ever had one of those moments when you light up? When you know that something is not just something but THE thing God is calling you to? I had that moment last week when i received a call from Victory teen missions asking me to team lead the 10th grade trip to Jamaica. Up until i got this call i had been thinking and praying about all the trips and I just didn't have that "light up" moment. I wanted to, but i just didn't until i got the call!

This is an amazing and action packed trip from March 16-22nd. We will be going to the schools in the mornings, girls homes, churches and doing street ministry. The real thing i am excited about is The opportunity to lead these High School students into a true experience with God. One thing i am really excited about and i feel called to is, Helping young men and women find who and what God has called them to do! As amazing this experience is for the people we are reaching i believe that as we are reaching the lost, the students will understand what truly following God is. If the missionaries grasp the life that Christ has for them they will return changed. They will never be the same. Thousands of people will be impacted because of the lives changed on this trip.

We have an amazing team of leaders to help direct this trip, and i am honored that God would open up the door for me to be able to not only lead on this trip but to lift the name of Jesus up to people who NEED hope and restoration!

Overall this trip is going to cost around $800 and if you feel led in any way to help support me on this trip it would be greatly appreciated. Contact info will be at the bottom. I just ask that you all pray and see if you are being led to help. This is a more than worthy cause and if you cannot provide i ask that you could pray for this trip! Thank you for taking the time to read this, it means a lot!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

You can message me on facebook or at

Ckavounis@gmail.com

240.672.3437

my address is
2024 e 74th pl. Apt. 301
tulsa, ok 74136

Thank you again!

For the ladies...

I was thinking the other day... how can I help all relationships... in the world.
Then I thought... spread knowledge.
Genius!
But to whom do i spread this knowledge???

One answer kept coming back to me.... the ladies!

So I worked very hard to compile a list For 10 things every girl should know to avoid wasted time with people that inevitably end up being tools... or even worse, heartbreak! I even asked a few friends (spencer, and joey) For their expert opinion.

So here it goes...

1. Boys have cooties.
2. Guys can never complete you. (that's Gods job)
3. Never trust a guy who says he gets along better with girls.
4. If a guy isn't able to lead himself spiritually and be a "Jesus" to you as a friend, he surely won't now that he's in a relationship.
5. If a guy is txting you a lot, 99.872% of the time he likes you. Don't lead them on, quit feeding off the attention!
6. Never trust a guy who wears deep V necks.
7. Never trust a guy that ignores you with people around but loves you when its just you two.
8. Never trust a guy who isn't willing to WORK!
9. Never trust a guy who won't apologize for mistakes.
10. Never trust a guy learning french. (its a dying language)

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Silly Resolutions.

9 Resolutions for 2011.

1. Post atleast one a week. -Not just spiritual stuff but sports, and anything that comes to mind.

2. Read the bible more. -I think this is one area i need more consistency. I need to focus more on the Word of God then someone's interpretation of it.

3. Read the bible all the way through. -I have never read the entire Bible... this bugs me.

4. Read more books. -Hopefully one every 2 weeks depending on size. Not only christian, but biographies, history and books on culture.

5. Dominate in Call of Duty Black Ops. -I dont really have much more to say.

6. Become a beast at centsports.com

7. Get under 200 lbs. I just weighed myself on the Wii fit. 228 pounds. Cue weight loss...

8. I will be more intentional with my relationships.

9. Be smart with money. -I have never been great with money management, but i have gotten better. My goal is to get even smarter and save...

Band-Aid's versus Restoration.

The Redskins as of late have fallen into this slump… a ten year slump.

I attribute this mostly to what I call the “Yankee approach.”

This is where you trade your future away and spend HUGE money on big name players who then rob the team by playing worse then what was even thought to be possible…

Recent examples would be;

- haynesworth- 41 million

- Mcnabb- 32 million

These are some other examples;

- Jeff George, Brandon Lloyd, Adam archuleta, jeremiah trotter, Deon Sanders.

Finally some coaches that were horribly over paid;

coaches: spurrier, zorn, schottenheimer

But there is hope! A new coach has entered the picture. Mike shanahan.

With a new coach comes a new approach called “Rebuild.”

Rebuild- takes time. Wise use of resources and Smart personnel decisions.

A few recent examples would be…

- Played this last weekend without 13 of there opening day starters.

- 2 back ups had HUGE plays to help win the game this weekend.

- Sexy Rexy has 5 tds in his first 2 games, opposed to Mcnabbs 1 in his first 2… 6 weeks to get to 5 himself.

You see, rebuilds are never fun at first. They involve breaking old patterns, and creating a culture that is more advantageous to winning.

Both ripped to shreds by the media. I remember every season of the last decade, sports analysts ripping the Redskins spending Binge, and trading away there future(draft picks) for the now.

- and now with shanahan taking the reigns of the team the turn has been toward rebuild… except the minor hiccup that was the Mcnabb signing which fooled everyone into thinking we would be good. The media rips every move. Benching old, lazy players… starting them. Playing to many new players, not enough… Winning is the only silencer so to speak.

Life is the same way if we think about it…

Everyone goes for the quick fix.

Maximum use of Duct tape and sparkles. This will help you cover up your flaw or errors with busyness, or works rather then fixing the true issue…

-Struggling??? Smile through it, tell everyone your great. You’ll make it.

-Have issues you haven’t resolved. Move on, trade your hurt for something else.

-sin you haven’t surrendered to God… Get busy. It will help numb the reality that you cant handle all things alone.

-Keep believing that you can earn your way to heaven, and whatever you do don’t stand out.

Psalm 1- Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

- This verse can be played a few different ways…. You could very easily use this to justify the “quick fix.” Because it says you are blessed by making the external changes.

- But I heard a different view on this the other night from Rob Bell. He was saying that if you look at the verse it is a progression. Like sin. Walk, Stand, Sit. Which leads to the rebuild process.

- Both are a progression… Sin slows you down and stops you, gets you distracted. Where as the rebuild or restoration is pro active.

If someone buys a old house with the intention of making a new one, you don’t build on top of the house you have, right??? Instead you get rid of all the bad. Breaking it down to the foundation, rebuilding from the foundation looking inside looking for structure flaws.

Like rebuilding a sports team, or areas in your life that need a rebuild.

If you build off of sin in your life you are creating a weak point. You need to gut that sin and start fresh.

Phillipians 1.6- And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

If you trust in Christ and the work he has begun, no matter how far off you are… He will bring it to completion.

Trust

in Christ and be proactive in your restoration.

Reflect

on what areas or your life may need rebuild.

Act

out in the areas you seem fit to bring the good work in you to completion.

BREAK ME!!!!!!

I have been realizing recently that so many people, myself included, get in moments where they feel like something is missing in their walk... everything seems fine, no obvious sin, you're doing fire times, prayer, helping in ministry, you know everything you're supposed to. So you come to that fork in the road with 2 obvious paths... 1. Get frustrated  and mad thinking you're doing EVERYTHING and God should be talking to you. Or 2. You cry out to God, BREAK ME GOD, BREAK ME. SHOW ME WHAT IT IS YOU WANT ME TO DO I WILL DO IT!!!! 

A week or so ago we did this prayer week called 24.7 prayer, where among our weekly schedule we would spend a hour a day in a designated prayer room which was set up all fancy like! So going into it I wasn't so much wanting to hear from God and have Him tell me anything in particular, but I instead wanted to focus more on knowing Him... Which i think is also overlooked a lot these days. But i will say i started off the week with path 2. Break me, show me who you are, give me your heart/mind, all the fancy wordage, but i was thrown off my first day in the room i felt awkward praying... I could say the cool wordy things, and pray like i always have, but i felt this disconnect, and it confused me because here i am coming into this week to learn about God but immediately i felt away from Him. So after a day or so i turned to path 1. I got so frustrated wanting to hear from God but not, wanting to know Him but not, wanting to feel Him but not, that i got mad. Ignorance. I felt like in the midst of God moving all around i was just standing there watching it happen. 

After i cooled down and was humbled in various ways i realized a few things... Both paths are flawed... 1. because if we are not hearing/feeling/knowing God it is our fault... God is never at fault or wrong, because He's God. Also He has given us everything we need for all of these things to be fulfilled. Prayer, worship, the Bible, church. All of these are things to draw us closer to God, but when it comes down to it you will only get as close as you want or are willing to sacrifice... 2. although praying break me break me i think is okay in some instances i  also think that we have made that term into a pretty fluffy term insinuating that it is easy. It's not God breaking you involves Him ripping all of the things that are not of Him to the front and forcing you to do something with it. It's making you die to yourself and realize that no matter what you want or love if it is not of God or serving a purpose in getting closer to Him it is taking you farther from Him. It's not easy. a fairy tale. a pretty transformation. It's a painful, hard, humbling process. 

Another thing i realized was there is a not so obvious path... for me at least. Path 3 is realizing that whether God talks to you audibly or through the word or all the time or not at all HE IS GOD. That regardless of circumstances He is still with you, leading and doing things in your maybe not even aware of. Seeing that pressing into God is not simply saying God break me but actually be willing for Him to. It's being willing to say and truly mean it when you tell Him you would give up anything and go anywhere for Him and His people. God blesses those who wait upon Him, i was waiting being patient but not enough. I was doing it to know God and have cool revelations of Him not because i wanted learn about the one and only thing that matters in this world. Not because i truly wanted more of Him, i wanted a experience. 

I also realized that it doesn't have to be all cookie cutter prayers with God, that i don't have to be scared to voice my heart/thoughts/feelings because he knows them anyway. I can go to Him and be like this is bugging me, i'm mad at this, i don't feel like worshiping. How naive am i to expect to have a good relationship and know God when i talk to Him as a acquaintance, like i am scared that He wont like the real me... I would venture to say that he doesn't like the me i portray... I can see Jesus chillin and when i go to pray, Him crying out and just grieved by the fact that i'm embarrassed of the real me, that i do struggle. Then He comes by my side puts His arm around me and helps me to realize all the things i am in Him... That he loves the me i was created to be. We need to be a people who are honestly after God and His people!

On a separate note, I just found out and had my first meeting for spring break missions. As IMT's we are sent on these trips as leaders for the Victory High school kids. I am going on a one week trip with the 10th and 11th graders to Mexicali... which apparently is a real place in mexico right on the other side of the border. We already have the nickname Stack Attack because of how stacked with awesome leaders we are!!!! It is going to be AMAZING and i cant wait! We are flying to San Diego first then driving to Mexico. With this trip involving flight, i will have a cost above what is provided by the IMT program. I have to come up with $590 by about mid march... This is something i would love if you could come alongside me in prayer for the funds, and if you would like to support me in any way it would be greatly appreciated. If so feel free to contact me on here with my info below! I love you guys, thanks for reading!

 

-Chris Kavounis

ckavounis@gmail.com

if you would like my number or address send me a email and i would love to give you it!

Lets try this one more time...

So... Apparently blog's don't write themselves... As part of my current sleeping habits i am sitting up, passing up on a chance to sleep to update everyone! I have another blog to right up very shortly but this is a start.

 These last 3 months have been very up and down. It all started with Thanksgiving break, Before that point everything was going well was having reasonably no trouble motivating myself to get up for fire time and just being motivated for anything. Break was awesome and relaxing but it consisted or horrible sleeping habits and a whole bunch of avoiding God. I let laziness take over. So coming back from break the attitude passed over to all the way to and through Christmas break.

 I let myself fall back into some things i had not struggled with since being in Tulsa, but through being demoralized i realized a lot. Things like my attitude needs to change... i thought i was doing this stuff because i wanted to but by the lack of effort i put into spending time with God this would indicate that i was more doing it because i had to... But before i came back i decided i was going to do everything i could to get closer to God and create a pattern and attitude of putting God top on my priorities. Because if at the end of the year i am in the same place i was before i left i will have wasted my time. 

This week we are doing 24/7 prayer, it is where we set up a prayer room and there is a signup sheet that designated hour blocks that you are praying daily either alone or with others. The 2nd years blacked out the room with construction paper. and put in black lights, glow in the dark markers, paint, beads, and a bunch of cool stuff to set the mood/ be able to write on the wall things God had been speaking to you. I came into it with the mindset that i was going to hear from God and learn how to hear him better... Well after a few days of that i got frustrated, because i wasn't getting the results i wanted. So after a few circumstances that humbled me, and opened my eyes to the fact that i need to enjoy God. Through some talks with nick, tiffany and my Team Leader Aaron i heard some really good things, and saw a few things that i hadn't realized i was doing. Essentially i was going to God with a front that everything was okay, and i was scared to tell Him how i really felt. Well i more so thought i was being selfish by going to God saying, "hey im struggling with XYZ and i dont like this and i need your help here." But since than i have been working on this and im realizing how irrational my thought process was because how in the world am i supposed to build a friendship with God if i am scared to open up. I need to not just pray for Him to Break me but actually be willing for Him to do it! Novel concept i know... So regardless of if i am hearing from God, or not, or im going through struggles or not, He is still God and i will worship Him.

More to come soon peace! 

-Chris

Fizaith Walk!!!!!!!!

Holla

So yeah the faith walk was AMAZING! For those of you that do not know, Faith walk is a yearly event for the IMTs, It consists of all the people meeting outside on the field at 4 am on Saturday morning. We circle together and have prayer and then Ryan Called out what teams were going. Half the team went the other half stayed and did outreaches in OK, and they would keep at least one person back and in prayer for the faith walkers! So anyway, i was 99% sure i was going this weekend and sure enough i was in the second group chosen. It was Hazel, Milly, Nece, and Me, so we grabbed our 6 foot cross got in the car put our blindfolds on and went to sleep. About 3 hours later we came to a stop... The last 30 minutes of the drive was jenny driving in circles on a dirt road... Some quick rules. We cant ask questions, if we get a ride from someone we are only allowed 25 miles per driver, we were only allowed to pack our bible, journal, a change of clothes, and a water bottle. We believe God for everything.

Then Jenny led us out of the car with the cross and our blindfolds on... She told us to take our bandannas of and the first thing we see is a 4 way dirt road and cows. Jenny prays with us then leaves... awesome. So First thing we did clearly was spend time with God. Following this our group stood in the middle of the road, closed our eyes and pointed where we thought we should go. Two people pointed one way, then there were two other directions, so we went with majority. We walked on the dirt road for probably 3 miles and then we came to a PAVED ROAD!!!!!!!! Once we found that we decided to go right so then we walked probably another 6 or 7 miles until we hit a highway... and by highway I mean two lane road with street signs.  

After we took a short break, we decided to go left and one thing we did during all our walking was talk about what we were believing for. A couple things was a place to stay with a awesome family who has a teenager, pizza, i thought tacos, someone who would provide food/directions/a ride/money, to be able to talk to some old people, and to not have to walk on Sunday at all. So after we walked for a few miles we talked to a few people, at this point we were pretty sure we were in Oklahoma. We kept walking and finally came to Stratford, Ok. We were excited to be in civilization, first thing we walked to a gas station for the bathrooms and while there two sets of people gave us some money. They said they were so encouraged by us, and in reality they were helping us, it was so cool! So at this point we found out there was a town wide yard sale, so we decided to walk around talking to people. We talked to 2 families i believe, but the first ones were really excited for us and they gave us some water. At this point we decided to head back towards the gas station to get a map for directions. 

We walk into the store and inside is Don, he was this older gentleman how noticed who we were, he helped IMT's doing the same thing a few years back. So he was a answer to a few prayers, he gave us some money, food, and directions. After we ate we started walking where he said and we walked past these people in a garage. We walked up and it was a older couple, they were awesome, they were worried for our parents so they offered to call our parents, and on top of that they asked if we wanted a map and gave it to without asking also they gave us some money. After that we started walking towards Ada, which was east. After about 2 miles Don honked the horn and pulled over to give us a ride, He gave us a ride 15 miles to Ada. The question was keep going the last 10 miles and be stuck between 2 towns or stay in Ada and figure something out, we decide to pull into the last store in town and pray about it. While we prayed and talked it over don went inside walgreens, we decided to go the extra 10 miles, so i go in to get don and hes talking to a 19 year old girl Jessica. Later i was told she thought he was crazy, but she asked me what we were doing, and she thought it was cool and drew out directions to the next 2 towns(19 miles) and told me where her church, pastors house, and her parents, and she offered to pick us up if we are still walking. 

To be honest I assumed i would never see her again, but anywhoo as luck would have it after a mile or so walking a car pulls up behind us... It was jessica's mom, Tochie (Mrs. Cates) she picked us up, took us to there house, fed us, let us clean up and sleep there for the night. We had tacos! it was amazing, They are such a blessing to us they have no idea! That night we sat together and we listened to Bill (Mr. Cates) tell stories about growing up and God and we wrapped up the night with a prayer. I felt  so honored and welcomed to be there. When we got up in the morning we went with bill to help feed the cows, it was awesome! Then we came back and went to There church. Atwood Church of the Nazarene, we found out there was the 100 year celebration of there denomination being created and they were having a big potluck! It was so fun, there were about 50 or so people, Word got out we were there so we all got called up to the front and I spoke for a few minutes about what we were doing and God's provision so far! 

After that we went to talked to the youth small group for a while and just poured into them, Then we headed back to church and Brother Larry spoke on 1 peter 2:9-12, about being chosen people and being about reproach from non-believers. Couple things that stood out. 1. God wants to do something in our heart and mind. 2. There are people around us hurting and it is our job to make a difference. 3. God doesn't save us just to keep us out of hell, but to empower us through Christ and make a difference in this generation! It was sick!!!! After service we got ready to leave and realized Jessica had completely arranged rides for us from Atwood to our apartments. She was so amazing! We returned at 530 pm sunday, so excited and fired up for God. 

God spoke to me a lot over this time. One thing was that God will provide a way out of every situation, another is that God has our time and divine appointments lined up wether we are hearing from Him or just pointing a direction and walking. That if we didn't do one of the things we did everything after it would probably not have happened... God is AMAZING. God was showing me that with just a little faith He will provide, and He hears and wants to bless my prayers and thoughts. For instance we were talking at one point about food, and what we were believing for and i thought tacos but i didn't even pray it but we had it! It just blew me away about how God wants to bless us and set up help the whole trip, but yet i struggle so much at times to trust God with my future... If He's wanting to bless us with pretty much everything we asked about then why the HECK wont i give everything to God???? To be honest i thought ours was pretty easy, because i was expecting walking 50 miles with no food and sleeping outside. But God was teaching me about faith, love and so much more through this. 

Last but definitely not least God put some of the most amazing Families and people in my lives, the Bill, Tochie, and Jess and Don were so servant hearted, there hearts were purely on helping us to the fullest extent. All of them feel like my family, and accepted us immediately.

I thank God for them and there help, and pray blessings pour out on there lives. Thank you everyone for your prayers, and keep the rest of the IMT's in prayer for this week if you dont mind :) I love you all!

p.s. Here is the link to where we got dropped off at.

mapquest.com

-Chris Kavounis 

Lujiah