Let the countdown begin!!

Greetings!!

No...I have not forgotten about this blog! I have so much to share with those who are willing to read :)

When I last wrote you I left you with a few updates that I would like to expand upon in this post.

1. B.A.Y. Rally North - Pequot Lakes, MN

I had the opportunity on February 23, to make a road trip out to Pequot Lakes, MN. I had been asked to speak at the B.A.Y. Rally North which is a ministry of Youth For Christ in the Brainerd Area. I was very excited at this opportunity and it was an excellent night! It was such a cool atmosphere to speak in, what with lights, a big stage, projector screens, etc. There were over 300 students in attendance for this rally with the theme of, "Prove It". The idea behind this theme was to taylor messages to the students that would encourage them to really live out what they believe in way that would be visible to others. When asked to speak, I was given the topic within this theme of proving your faith by truly loving others.

I opened up with some humorous bits about working out and how it truly takes effort and consistency. I tied this idea into the notion that we can't just meet a need once and call it good, or be kind to someone once and think we've arrived. To so, would be negligent of the call to love others and it would be like going to the gym once and saying that you will stay in shape the rest of your life.

I challenged those listening to not only love those whom it's easy to love but to really push themselves by loving people who aren't like them and who they don't necessarily like (Mt. 5:46-47) I also included the story of Jesus loving and healing the leper...something that was definitely a shocker back in that day.

Overall, it was a super fun night and I felt blessed to be a part of it! I hope to have more opportunities in the future to speak for B.A.Y. Ministries and partner with them in the work of the gospel.

2. That same week I had the opportunity to speak at 30 Below, which is a college-aged group that meets a few Sundays a month in the Duluth area. I was invited to speak at a worship night they were having on Saturday, March 5 and I spoke on the concept of being "genuine". I used Philippians 2:19-22 where Paul speaks about Timothy having a genuine concern for the welfare of others which is in a sense looking out for the interests of Christ. I relayed this concept to us as the church today saying that if we desire an authentic relationship with God, we needed to genuine in or relationships with other people. Paul says that he has no one else like Timothy who shows such a genuine concern. I posed the following question regarding Timothy's genuine demeanor, "Wouldn't it be cool if some big magazine like Time or something posted an article saying, "There's no one quite like those Christians who show genuine concern and welfare for others. I wrapped up the talk by encouraging those listening to be more genuine towards others by following Timothy's example, who modeled after Paul, and by following Paul's example who most importantly modeled his behavior after Christ. I felt blessed to be able to speak at this event!!

3. HERE COME THE BIG NEWS!! LiveWire Speaking is on it's way!!! LiveWire Speaking is a ministry I have started and the website (God-willing) should be fully operational by April 1st! That being said, let the countdown begin!! I'm very excited to be launching this ministry officially and I can't wait to see how God uses me in this new endeavor! I would like to thank so many people for believing in me and encouraging me as I have been on this journey for some time! A HUGE thank you goes out to my web designer and media guy for all the work he has put in!! You know who you are!! I will be posting the link soon so you can all see it!

In the mean time please do be praying for these upcoming speaking events:

1. Thursday, April 21st - InterVaristy @ U.M.D. Campus - Duluth MN (College Ministry)

2. Saturday, April 23rd - FCA Retreat @ Bethel Fellowship - St. Paul, MN (Youth Retreat)

3. July 31st - August 4th - Camp Lebanon - Burtrum, MN - (3-6 Grade Camp)

Thank you for your continued support!! I appreciate it!

Ephesians 6:19-20

Come and share in my happiness!!

Greetings to all my peeps who still take the time to read this blog. Fact: You are appreciated!

God is good! That's all there is to it! With every event I speak at, I am more and more amazed and grateful at how God is using this crazy, energetic personality of mine to impact lives! I feel so blessed to be a part of His plan!

Recently, I was able to speak at two events and they both were GREAT!

First, I spoke this past Wednesday morning at Lakeview Christian Academy. It was early and I really wanted to set the tone, so I attempted to inject some comedy material that I had been working on and long story short it went well! Whenever people laugh, I count it as a win :). I used quite a bit of humor and energy to really draw in the students and my main point of the talk was to not waste these teenage years but to use them to the full for God's glory. I briefly shared of how I look back on my teen years and am disappointed that I didn't use the gifts and talents bestowed upon me by God more. I challenged the students to really make these years count. It was good to hear that this talk was received well by students and faculty alike. I overheard that some teachers were concerned in the beginning of my talk thinking, "Oh boy, here we go again with a goofy chapel speaker with no point." Yet, when I hammered home the God given point, they seemed to be very pleased. I am so grateful that God has given me a mind that can combine humor and His word in a way that brings it to life to students!

My second event was speaking at YoungLife in Cloquet, MN. YoungLife is a GREAT ministry that seeks to reach unchurched students with the Gospel. I knew this would not be my typical, "youth group"audience so I was excited for the challenge. I spoke briefly (10 minutes to be exact) on how Jesus loves us in the moment. I told the students that Jesus isn't waiting for us to get our life together before He can love us. I used Mark 10:19, where a man came to Jesus wanting to know how he could get to heaven and be better. The Bible says that FIRST (this is HUGE) "Jesus looked at the man and LOVED him" then Jesus said, "This one thing you lack" The order there is essential to understand!! Jesus didn't start off by saying that we need to get our stuff together before we can be loved by Him. NO!! The Bible tells us that he first loved the man and then encouraged him to change. I communicated to the students that no matter where they were at and what their struggle was, Jesus loves them in the moment and wants to work on things together with them. As always, I attempted to throw in some comedic material this time centered around my "weird" family. This was definitely a fun night!

Praise God for these two GREAT opportunities!

UPDATE TIME:

1. I speak next at BAY Rally North in Pequot Lakes, MN on February 23. Please keep this date in your prayers. The theme for this event is, "Prove it" - to Him, to Yourself, to the World. I am so excited to have this opportunity!

2. I am currently working with some amazing people on developing a website and launching an official speaking ministry. We are very close and I am pumped to soon unveil it! Please continue to pray that God would lead and direct this adventure and that this ministry would truly be His and not about me.

3. I am working in an adult foster care facility and it's not an easy job but God is truly teaching me great lessons and I feel like I am really there for a purpose. Please pray that God would continue to use me in that setting to bring hope and encouragement to others!

Thank you for your support! May today find you drawing closer to Him!

In His Grip,

Levi Bordes

New Year...Same Dream

Greetings to my very few but loyal followers and might I add, Happy New Year!! I'm really happy that the computer will automatically post this in the year 2011, instead of having me date it 2010 like I've done with everything else the past two days :).

2010 is over, but my dream of pursuing a life of public speaking is just in it's birthing stage. As the year finished I had an opportunity to speak at two GREAT events in December.

On December 8th, I was invited to be the speaker at an event known as the, "School Showdown." This was a fun night comprised of many different high schools in the Duluth area competing against each other in various games and events that were not for the faint of heart. As the games portion of the evening drew to a close I took the stage to deliver a 20 minute message. I felt the talk was received well as I spoke about the need to build our lives on a solid foundation based off of Jesus' teaching on the wise and foolish builders. I included some humorous stories regarding my middle school "dating" life and how my foundations were not the most solid. Needless to say, my image may never be the same :P. Overall, the message of the Gospel was communicated and students were encouraged.

My other speaking engagement was the 12-Hour Blitz which took place on December 29th. The 12-Hour Blitz was an event that drew 280 students to whom I was blessed to speak to. I was the opening act of a night that included basketball, volleyball, rock wall climbing, the movie theater, the roller rink, bowling, and breakfast at a fancy new restaurant in town. This event was especially fun due to the size of the crowd and the energy level of the evening. I was ecstatic to be able to use some comedic material in addition to delivering a message. I was given fifteen minutes to speak which was challenging, yet right from the get go the crowd was hyped and thankfully I was able to make them laugh. My talk centered around the night's theme, "Unleash the Adventure." I spoke about my inability to experience adventure, citing that the closest I get to adventure is putting a Lord of The Rings dvd in and unleashing the Doritos and Mountain Dew. My main point overall, was that even if you don't like adventure it sometimes finds you anyways, just like it found Peter in the New Testament when Jesus told him to walk out onto the water. Sometimes we have to make choices that are out of our comfort zone and that is what I challenged the students to do. I challenged them to unleash the adventure of walking with Jesus in their lives.

I feel so blessed by the many people who have supported me and continue to contend with me as I seek to use my gifts to their full extent. Later this month I will be speaking at a Christian School during their chapel time. Please continue to pray for me this new year as we are in the process of web design and booking. As always I appreciate your prayers! May this new year find you, "Unleashing the Adventure."

Ephesians 6:19-20

In His Grip,

Levi Bordes