YO CUZZIN JOHNNY!!!!

MISS U CUZZIN!! I think about you and the San Jose fam often! Celina told me the other day that you missed reading the blogs! I’ve been mad busy, so here is an update! PS next time I’m stateside I’m coming for you and some of your cooking!

 

And to the rest of you reading, hello.

 

Ok, so I have been up to a lot lately. Listening to Augustana’s latest album. Also been listening to a ton of Bon Iver and Lecrae’s newest mixtape: Church Clothes.  Hours for work have dropped off which sucks, but rent isn’t costing too much at the moment, so it’s ok. I have been investing a ton into the High School youth ministry here and into the church. The longer I go on this journey, the more I find myself wishing, dreaming, and just wanting to be in the church. I don’t enjoy work nearly as much as church. Although my ministry is far reaching way outside the church walls, and I have had many great conversations with co-workers who don’t understand what Christianity is all about, and have even brought a friend to church with me, I still find myself longing for more than a “tent-maker” lifestyle that Paul had. Man…make me a Timothy before a Paul…I love the marketplace, and I am all about people leading in their spheres of influence, but THROW ME IN A CHURCH!!! Shoot!

 

The fantastic reality, is that God has placed in everyone a desire that is unique to their destiny. I have wonderful friends who want nothing more in life, than to own business’s, and use their money to help advance the Kingdom! The body has many parts, and all are important. We all just need to find our place and then function in the body! #flourishBABYflourish

 

I know I never blog as much as I used to. Please forgive me. But check this. If you really really want to see what my current vibe is, and you have an iphone or ipad, download this App. It’s called “Instagram”. It’s a simple picture app, but I’m on it daily. So you can follow me and my journey through my stream of pictures that I upload. My username is: dgracian0

 

Just make an account, search my username, and click follow. Then I’ll add you and you can just check it daily and see what I’m posting whether it’s pics from around the house, around sydney, around church, or college, or if I’m hangin out with chicks or whatever!

 

Here’s a pic I snapped the other day! Here’s one of the newest members of The Compound:Gus

 

 

 

I would like to do a profile on each of the guys I live with so every one of you reading this blog can be infinitely jealous of the people I get to hang out with every day. But we’ll see if time permits.

 

 

 

I preached a message the other day in one of my preaching classes. After my self evaluation, and the feedback I received from my teachers and peers, I am ready to preach again…but BETTER! Don’t get me wrong, it went well, and I actually wish I would’ve had more time, but there are without a doubt areas where I can improve. For my first time ever properly preaching, I am happy with the way it went.

 

The title of my message was: Remaining Fruitful.

Three ways you can remain fruitful in your Christian walk.

John 15

1.) Remain in the Word.
2.) Remain in the Promise
3.) Remain in Jesus.

 

Straightforward, bible-based, practical. Lucky for you I had a friend of mine record it! So here’s the audio. I know this sermon will be historic someday, so cherish this moment. You heard it here first ladies and gentleman. I had 15 minutes, but it starts halfway through the message so you miss the introduction and the first point, but you’ll get the idea. It’s rough, and the audio is quiet so you might have to put on some headphones or crank your computer volume…anyways, here it is:

 

 

if you can’t listen to it in the email, here’s the actual link: http://snd.sc/LHLVTp

 

 

So that’s that. Well, I guess it’s not really news to anyone now, so I figure I will just go ahead and make this public:

 

I will be in the U.S. for a short time this August.

 

There are some things that I need to take care of and a number of people I need to catch up with, so I am taking this short, purpose-filled vacation. I’m actually believing for a lot to come out of this trip, so to say I’m excited would be an understatement. I haven’t been to the States in 2 years, and Wal*Mart is calling my name. No but seriously, I’m excited and I’m pumped to do some of the stuff I’ve been planning to do back stateside. The Motherland…she’s a beauty. I know many people think all I do is party and live in a dreamland where everything is perfect and it’s always sunny, but the reality is, that being here has been the most challenging season of my life. So I need this vacation even more than I think I do. The timing is just right.

 

I’m going to bed, but I will leave you with this leadership thought, and inspire you to take wherever you’re at in life, and move forward with it:

 

Leadership is building something, not watching something being built.

 

-dg

 

 

Jaden and I two nights ago…

 

My housemates (from left to right) Gus, Chase, Jaden, Heath, Ryan, Me, Luke (kneeling), Eric, and Harry.

Praising, Preaching, and Peaking!

Awww mate youre GOOD!

 

MAN have I been busy! So much is always happening all the time!!

 

I’ve been playing a lot of keys for church. (Praising)

I’ve been frothing on Robert’s preaching class! (Preaching)

I’ve been PEAKING on life! Living in the best house, with the best guys, learning at the best school, serving in the best church!! (Peaking)

 

I will be preaching soon. I’ll be sure and get an audio recording up on here so you all can hear it. Give me a sec, I’ll post more soon.

 

 

We played a Chapel at Regents Park High this morning.

-dg

COLOUR 2012

Hey ladies!…and dudes…

 

Sorry it’s been a while! Been super busy with college, work, wildlife, and all things easter. Reinhard Bonke will be at our easter service this year. Check out Hillsong Youth’s youtube page to see a couple videos that I’ve been working on lately. The videos are ‘A day in the Life of a Love Punk’, and the Cross Equals Love Teaser.

 

Colour Conference is this weekend and next weekend. If you have an iphone or ipad, and you have the app Instagram, then you can follow me and get an actual view into my day to day. I’ll be taking pictures all weekend. My username is: dgracian0 <—(with a zero)

 

Love you all,

God Bless America and Her food.

 

_dg

The Compound

Some of you may or may not know, but over the month of December, I transitioned to my new house. I would like to give you a small tour of a little place called: The Compound.

 

Here we have the front. Now I know what you’re thinking: “Does this guy REALLY live next door a bakery that sells ONE DOLLAR croissants!?” And the answer my friend, is yes…I do live, here…next to the aforementioned bakery.

Now let’s go inside!!

As you open the door, the first thing you will see on your right, is the bike shop.

Then we have the living room. It looks like a Goodwill that got hit by a Gamestop meteor shower. No survivors.

As you can see, we make good use of this spacious warehouse. On the left side you can see our tv.

And on the right you can see some of our shelving and paintings.

Just beyond our movie theater, we have our gaming set up. CoD MW3, Gears3, and Halo. That’s it, that’s all.

You walk further, and you will find yourself trapped inside a beautiful industrial sized kitchen. We do not front on this stuff. That table seats 14 comfortably.

You walk a little bit further, and you run into the bedroom. We got stacks on stacks.

And on the left side of the room we have all the clothes..

Then you walk down past the clothes, through the sliding door, and you get to the garage. Here we keep the washer, dryer, and power tools. You can see the bathroom and shower entrance there on the left along with the power saw.

And  that is pretty much not even close to half of it. There’s a whole nother half to this place, but it’s too much work to put all these pictures together and all that, so I just showed you some of the highlights. But, this is where I will most likely be living for the next year. Now you have seen with your own eyes, a glimpse, of the beauty that is The Compound.

The community in which this place is located is great. We never have drunk people screaming on our street, or boys banging on the front of our house, or guys kicking in theglass in our front door. The neighborhood is totally family friendly from 1-2pm.

Anyways, I live far away from the church and college accommodation now, but it’s all for the better. All jokes aside, I love this place. I will try and get a video up soon so you  can really get in on this life-changing stuff.

2nd semester of 2nd year started last week. I’m pumped on life as usual. Oh yeah one more thing…Friday right before chapel started, two new girl college students came up to me, one was named Faith and the other I don’t remember, they came up to me and said “HEY DAVID!” And theirs a red flag…how do they know my name….? Long story short, the girls mom had been reading my blog for the last TWO YEARS and was using it to give her daughter information about college!! Ummmm….yeahh…LOCO! So that was crazy…anyways, thanks for reading, and hopefully the college stuff is helpful! And for the rest of you…the below picture is what my today looked like. SPF30 is the only way to go.

Anyways, much love from Maroubra.

-dg

Living the Dream

The title of my message today is this common catch phrase: ‘Living the Dream’

I’m not gonna preach a sermon, I just wanted to start this post like that. However, it is a very profound phrase, that has found it’s way into everyday language, and it kinda just gets tossed around like the word ‘love’. You wake up in the morning, the sun is out, the air is clean, and you got an EXTRA chicken nugget in your 8 piece McDonald’s meal! You then meet up with your friend and they ask you how you are doin and you reply “awww mate! I’m living the DREAM!” -or- LADiES, clothes close your eyes, and imagine you walk into forever21 or ForeverNew or ForeverSomeNormalWordNowSoundsTrendyWhenItsPutAtTheEndOf’Forever’OMGimGonnaBuyYourClothes, and you’re just planning on buying a new sun dress because Spring is 6 months out and you need to be prepared. As the Word so beautifully states: “In and out of season”- Paul writing to christian women in Timothy’s church. It’s biblical. And all the ladies said!? Ok so you walk in, eyes pealed, doing a quick, overall scan of the floor, and then you see a rail that looks promising. As you approach the rail containing the dresses GOD I HOPE THEY HAVE MY SIZE you start to sift. Next…next…nextOH THIS ONES CUTE next..next..IM NEVER GONNA FIND ANYTHING I LIKE…you notice the chick next to you picking out a dress, she holds it up to herself, it doesnt look good on her, and furthermore, she went overboard on her eye shadow this morning and could use a little more bronzer. Not much depth to those cheeks. And let’s be honest, that lipstick is not her color…OOH WHATS OVER HERE? then at the back of the store, you find THE ONE. it’s perfect. WHAT SIZE IS IT WHAT SIZE IS IT? OMG ITS MY SIZE!!!!! I LOVE IT!! so you take it up to the counter…the clerk is ready to check you out, but you dont hand her the dress, you hold it up in the air, inspecting, looking, observing the dress, and thinking about why Jennifer was upset with you last week…two minutes later, after the line has stacked up to about eight people, you set the dress  down on the counter “yeah ill take that one”.

Then the heavens open.

She rings up your dress, as you sift through your purse the size of Mt Kilimanjaro, you realize you should get a new one. One that’s a little bigger. You find your wallet and grab your chapstick, as your eyes leave the deep, dark cave of wonder, and look up to the register, your heart skips a beat. “the total comes to $49.95″ WAIT WHAT i thought it was a $100 dress?? “it’s on clearance, 50% off” OMG IM GONNA GO TRY IT ON!

That, my friends, is how most of us define living the  dream. A good day. A good adventure. A productive, well spent, period of time. I will be the first to admit that I throw the phrase out there all the time! I’m a number one abuser! But in the last couple years, I have come to a new understanding of the phrase. And I feel like I’m getting back to the original meaning of the it.

liv·ing: [liv-ing]- in actual existence or use; extant

dream: [dreem]- a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passingthrough the mind during sleep.

Here is the most basic way I can put it out there: The succession of images, thoughts, and emotions that I had passing through my mind 2 years ago while both asleep and awake, are now in actual existence and use.

Paul writes “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” The promise of God. He doesn’t just give good dreams, He gives God dreams. I hate the small life. I hate watching others live small lives. You know the enemy wants you to live a small life right? If he could get his way, he would have you just getting by, doing alright in church, and having enough time and resource for just your everyday needs, with no plans, but making it through the week. It’s a trap. We were NEVER meant to lead small lives! How can you bless someone else if you can barely take care of your self? How can you sponsor a kid to go to a summercamp where he will encounter God? How will you be able to invest time into your relationships if you barely have enough time for your family! Can I tell you church, that God WANTS to BLESS you!! But you will only go as far as your vision. What do you see? No really. What do you SEE? Do you just see the job your at now? Paying the bills until the day you die? Do you see beyond? Do you see where your family could 5 years from now? The great places you could go? The mountain’s you can conquer? Can you see the God-potential?

Joseph didn’t become a king and then have a dream that he was a king!! NO! He had the dreams as a teenager!! A young boy, knew he had the call of God on his life, and despite what his family said, still believed God for it! He was a normal guy. You know days got tough…not seeing anything come to pass, but day after day, this young boy stirred up his faith. He kept banking on God’s promise. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. And then BAM! A nation is SAVED! A kingdom is BLESSED! A promise FULFILLED! But it was a daily choice by one man, to stir up his faith again, and again, and again.

Maybe you’re saying “Yeah David…that’s all good and it’s a great story. But what does that have to do with me? Joseph is an old school bible character who lived a life that is nothing like mine.”

Well, maybe you didn’t have a fresh rainbow letterman’s jacket like Joseph, but I know you have dreams like Joseph. I know you have aspirations, goals, wishes. We all have them. It’s in our DNA, in our blood. Can I tell you right now, that it is no accident, or mistake that those dreams and visions found there way into your heart! God has placed them there! But will you bank on Him? It’s a relationship thing, a trust thing. The dreams He gives you are MEANT to be IMPOSSIBLE. If you look at your dreams, and say “I will need a miracle for this to happen”, than you KNOW, it’s a God dream. He’s ready, and waiting to take you on a journey, but will you stir up your faith again? Will you hold on to what He has said?

Two years ago I decided to start dreaming big. I threw my clay pot in the air, and prayed with everything I had, that I would not hit the ground and shatter into a million pieces. As I flew through the air, thoughts, doubts, and fear raced through my mind, yet I stirred up my faith again. Again and again. And as I came down, I didn’t hit the ground, but I found myself being caught by the potter’s hands. He caught me. Not only did He catch me, but He filled me, with treasures, that are yet to be revealed. He placed me on His shelf with all His other pots. And together, day and night, we sit on the shelf and watch the Master at work. Doing what only He can do.

Don’t you dare stop dreaming. Don’t you dare settle for small living. Stir up your faith TODAY. Believe God for the things HE has placed in your heart. Believe for HEALING. Believe for RESTORATION. Believe for BREAKTHROUGH. Believe for SIGNS! Believe for WONDERS! Some of you might already know what the dreams are that you need start believing God for again. Maybe you don’t know what the God dreams are for your life…start praying, seeking, get wise counsel. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. But it will take your INITIATION. You must draw near to Him FIRST! Once you get the God dream for your life, don’t let it go! If your family rejects the dream that God has placed in your heart, don’t let it go! If you don’t see it happening right away, don’t let it go! If you wait years and years and years and don’t hear or see any results, you must not let it go!! Because at the end of the day, the God dream over your life really isn’t about you ‘living the dream’, or walking in the reality of what you saw years beforehand. Maybe it actually isn’t about you at all, but maybe, your God dream’s exist, because, like Joseph, you have a nation to save.

Summercamp 2012

When I say I’m ‘living the dream’, I actually mean it. I actually had a dream, and now I live it everyday. But now it’s time to dream bigger.

-dg

2011 is so last year..

HELLO WORLD!! Greetings from Sydney Australia in the year 2012! It is the moment you have all been waiting for! It is finally time for…. THE ANNUAL DAVEY AWARDS!! That’s right folks! 2011 was full of many candidates and potential winners, but there can only be one….in each category…SO, without hesitation, I bring you: THE SECOND ANNUAL DAVEY AWARDS!

RULES AND ELIGIBILITY

[From now until I die, I will host an online blog awards show called The DAVEY'S. At the end of each year I will present to you the winners. All citizens are eligible for entry, however few will be chosen. DAVEY'S winners will each receive  a modest prize. Nominee's and winner's are decided upon by a board containing one person: me.]

2011 Strongest Man Award goes to…

Chase Elmore (ripped much?)

2011 Employer of the Year Award goes to…

MYER (been payin the bills since last year..)

2011 Apartment of the Year Award goes to…

#342 (never forget)

2011 Best Beach Award goes to…

Maroubra Beach (2 years in a row!)

2011 Most Likely to Skype Me Award goes to…

Andrea Aquino (2 years in a row!)

2011 Best Facial Hair Award goes to…

Pastor Crishan Jeyaratnam (critical lumberjack beard. a true shepherd of the flock.)

2011 Average Take-Away Burrito Award goes to…

Guzman Y Gomez (a step above last years winner, but still not the best..)

2011 Sexy Man Award goes to…

Carl Lentz (NYC never looked so good)

2011 Most Re-Tweetable Person Award goes to…

Dr. A. R. Bernard (since I started following, ive retweeted every, single, tweet.)

2011 The Hotness Award goes to…

Girl That Will Not Be Named (but rest assured, she is more than worthy of this award and definitely a huge step up from last years winner!)

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Those are this years awards, and if you didn’t win in 2011, you can always shoot for 2012! If you want to see last years winners, you can check them out by clicking HERE. Anyone can be a winner, you just gotta want it. I might even add a couple new categories next year…we’ll see…

2011 for me was the most challenging and satisfying year of my life. It was so hard. Everything about it was difficult, yet at the same time, there was so much joy, and when you are walking out your dreams, and stepping into visions that you had years ago in your minds eye, you can’t help but feel a sense of wonder and amazement. It has taken me almost a year and half, 532 days, to fully get on my feet! Talk about a journey! I remember a time when I was walking down the street, so confused and scared, and then I just sat on the sidewalk, and started crying like crazy…I had no idea what to do! All the people closest to me, who knew me the best, were thousands of miles away! So I opened up my small red Gideon bible, and started reading. I remember that moment like it was yesterday, but to be honest, I have no idea what it was I was crying about. In that moment I was fully in despair about something, but God brought me through it.

I can remember another time when I didn’t have enough money to pay for a semester, and the last day to make a payment had come! I thought to myself “Well Jesus, if this is it, then this is it.” And as I’m  sitting in my last lecture of the semester about believing God for the impossible, I get a text from Les that says “The money is in your account, write the check.” I ran through the church foyer jumping up and down, dancin everywhere! Last minute breakthrough. God shows up again.

I have one more semester to go until I complete my second year of college. I can tell you with certainty: There is no place I would rather be, than right where I am.

2012 is sure to be my greatest year yet!!! I am expectant to see the things that God will do and accomplish through my life!! One day at a time, one step at a time. Daily seeking God, and preparing for eternity, by living life knowing that my purpose is not found in myself, but in God’s eternal plan!

One last thing! WordPress.com put together a full report of stats for my blog! I just had a read through it, and it’s pretty awesome!! Check it out if you want! People from all over the world are reading my blog!! What a trip!!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,800 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 7 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy New Year!!

NYE Harbour Bridge

Christmas Cheer!

Hey everybody! I am posting a quick little update to let you all know that I had a wonderful Christmas here in Sydney! I want to thank all of you who have contributed so much and invested so much into my life over these last couple years! This was my second Christmas here in Australia and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you guys…no other way to say it. So thank you all so much. I am working over 85 hours the next two weeks (tis the season to work retail), but as soon as I get a day off (dec30), I will post up some pictures and fun stuff for you all to see! Until then, I’m going to catch some Z’s for another big day tomorrow!! Also never forget, BORN IS THE KING!!

-dg

Granny doin her thing, me doin mine.