darren ervin's blog

my name's darren...all my frenz call me d..i'm recently ordained as a reverend through Worldwide Christian Fellowship..i've had a major burden on my heart since 2007 to witness and minister to as many people as the Lord will send my direction, or vice-versa.. in late june of 2008, the Lord laid on my heart what He wanted me to do with my ministry..what you are witness to right now is the very early stages of what is to be a cross-country missions trip to several cities and towns across the U.S. i've completely laid myself open to wherever He leads, and whatever doors He opens, i'll go through...doors and offers have already begun opening up across the country.. the venture will begin in my hometown of Olympia, WA..and from there i'll be boarding a greyhound bus heading either east or south to begin with, and go wherever He leads..the road is completely open, and there is no timeline to this mission, other than His... what i would ask of any of you is prayer for this mission..that the Lord will continue to open the doors for ministering opportunities, and to give me the strength and confidence(that only He can provide) to share Him with as many as will listen.. i'll be using this profile to update y'all as much as possible with where i'm at, where i'm heading.. my primary mission is witnessing and preaching..my secondary mission is meeting and fellowshipping with as many of you as possible, whatever's in His will is what i'm praying for..
i am completely leaving this open to Him as to where to take me first..and with that, i have something i need to put out there for you all to be upholding in prayer and this is where the networking comes in...
i need you to check through your church, your local ministries(or even your own personal ministries), and pray and see what is needed...if any of you are aware or know of a local situation in your area that is needing assistance in some way, please obtain the necessary information and email me with it as soon as you're able to...
i have ideas of where i'd like to begin, but i really want the Lord to lead me to where i'm needed to begin with..and as i hit certain areas that are close to any of you, then we'll begin to make plans to spend time together and fellowship...
i would love to spend as much time with all of you as possible, and attend services with you at your home church..even if there was an opportunity to speak(check into it and let me know if you're aware of that possibility..this would primarily be a chance to share my testimony and speak about the mission)..but, my main focus has to be on ministering to the people in yer areas that are most in need of Him...
i am completely relying on Him..and have already committed to the fact that this is not about me, or about how it will benefit me..only how it may bless others, how it will bless and glorify and bring honor to Him and build His kingdom, and be a blessing to myself in the process, i suppose..but that will only come through being in service to those i come in conatct with...
i am absolutely fine with meals at the local missions, as well as lodging there..this is not going to be nor is it supposed to be a high-end mission by any means..this is me getting on the streets, and into the communities where He is needed the most by those who are considered by many to be the least..
this is about me humbling myself to take His message to the ones who are in the most need..and i'm sure i will find myself in some very humbling (and possibly dangerous)situations, but then again, that's what i'm planning on...
the seed gifts that come into this ministry are not going to be spent on luxuries or accomodations..only travel expenses from one location to another..however God chooses to bless me through any of this is totally in His hands and His plans...
CCM is not about me, but about Him...not what i am, but what He's already done and continues to do through me...Lord, please continue to use me as a vessel..
i mentioned it on the phone this morning to one of my closest Christian brothers.. that if you see or discern me becoming prideful at all throughout this mission..please keep me in check;)..i am asking for accountability here, peeps;)
as soon as i start sporting nice suits and white platform shoes..it's time to take me aside and have a good heart-to-heart talking to;)
my next update will more than likely come once i hit my hometown, which will be this coming weekend..
in the meantime, stay strong..submit yourselves daily to His word and His will in your lives
stand strong in Him, and share Him with whoever you can..know that He is God, and that Jesus Christ is Lord!!!
God bless each of you today...and every day
thank you so much for your prayers and support...
yer brother in Jesus Christ alone,
d

today is the birthday...
well, honestly..i don't feel 43;) i still feel as though i'm floating around in my late 20s/early 30s, but the grey on the temples says otherwise;)
its really been a good day..one of the first sober birthdays in way too many years, and i have the Lord to thank for that!
this same time last year, i was blacking out at the end of my final dj gig, and feeling absolutely wiped out, spiritually void, and spent..so, the contrast between last year and this alone is a miracle in and of itself;)
there again, thank you, Lord..
i want to thank all of you for the birthday comments, messages, etc..right off the bat this morning, from across the ocean..i received b-day wishes from a good friend of mine, and the day has pretty much continued in the same direction..
actually, over the past couple of days, i've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of birthday greetings coming in, and i want to thank each and everyone of you for them..
for what its worth, one of my best friends (of 27 years) messaged me about 5 or 6 days ago telling me happy belated birthday..hehehehe...aw, buyer yer funny;)
this particular birthday also comes shortly after my 10-month sobriety, delivered from a life of heavy substance abuse...
in fact, this is the first birthday in i don't know how long where there wasn't a marijuana pipe attached to my lips, and a head reeling from too much alcohol, let alone all of the other assorted drugs over the years that always seemed to accompany this "special" day...Lord, thank you for pulling me out of all of that...
i spoke with my mom this morning, and that was good(as always)..
and i just thought i'd take a moment to say thanks to all of you, once again, for being such an important part of my life...i thank God for each of you every day, seriously..and yer all in my prayers;)
God bless y'all much..
d

this is the second time i've heard about this already this week...messed-up, but here's the story....


written by M. Seither/Anthony Randazzo

Earlier this week, a Marine stationed in Fallujah gave Iraqis silver coins, printed in Arabic with John 3:16. Coming so recently after the Koran shooting incident, the military—and the media—are not taking this lightly.

The soldier’s action violated Army rules regarding the conduct of American soldiers, but it highlights an important issue for American Christians. Christians face a unique challenge sharing their faith in the Muslim world, because they represent more than just Christianity. They represent the history of the Crusades.


As an American who has gone to the Middle East and shared his faith, I have seen that the people of the Levant do not let history slip easily from their worldview. Though the Crusades were hundreds of years ago, Muslim children hear stories of the Crusades in the same tone that American children learn about Vietnam and the Berlin Wall.

Religion-filled political rhetoric doesn’t help the confusion. During the Gulf War, George H.W. Bush’s frequently ended his speeches about “liberating” Kuwait with, “may God bless America”, giving the war religious undertones and conjuring, in the Muslim mind, images of stories of the Crusades.

Today’s American troops in Iraq represent a similarly troublesome force. While modernity says the US-backed coalition soldiers are non-religious, and only fighting for political ideals, there remains the doubt in some Muslims’ minds that religion is somehow in play.

Iraqi politicians understand—mostly—that the US Army is not a religious tool. But to the average Iraqi, a man with a gun and an American flag on his shoulder passing out unsolicited Christian material sends a different message.

As this Memorial day weekend begins, i can't help but turn my thoughts even more to the amazing people in the armed forces...
i am so blessed to call many of you my good friends, let alone friends...and i look up to you more then you could ever know..
i know i try and show my appreciation to each of you as often as possible, but my attempts pale in comparison to your efforts and actions on our behalf that you all do every minute of the day...
to each and every one of you, i thank you so much for all you've done, and all you do...
stay strong and know that there are many of us here at home that love you, care for you, cry for you, stay as strong as we can for you, and uphold you in our prayers...
we memorize your faces and voices in our hearts and in our minds, and we cherish every word written in your letters...
we salute you, every member of the military for who you are, and what you stand for...
may God bless, strengthen, and protect each and every one of you..no matter where you are..
d

Standing and walking...
"What if i stumble, what if i fall...what if i lose my step, and i make fools of us all?"

I stumble every day..i think things that aren't the best; i sometimes resent people's opinions or their expectations of me; i find myself focusing on things other than God; i sin every day, whether its the monumental thing we most often bring to mind, or the subtle (and just as deadly) things that are part of our periphery..
There was a time when i used to see nothing wrong in the mundane flaws(sins) of my being, that the words i used and the actions i performed and the thoughts i pondered were all just...fine. Normal.
Whether i would or could justify them in my heart and mind to deal with their presence in my life and the consequences of each one and its impact, or whether i didn't...my heart never used to ache the way it does now when i know i've grieved the Holy Spirit.
However, i no longer am able to be content with what i used to find acceptable. I have to begin in my own life, listening for His voice among all of the voices that penetrate my mind sometimes..and doing what He asks. I can't expect others to follow, let alone understand what I feel He has placed on my heart.
Scripture after scripture continue to reveal something greater in store; they all point to having a confidence and trust in God that goes beyond what most would find reasonable or possible..
Mark 10:26-28 26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" 27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." 28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

At this crossroads i find myself at in my life, there is every opportunity that God can bless me with to move where He asks me, to follow where He leads..if He were to physically pass through this town I'm staying in today and asked me to follow Him, i'd leave this all behind..
In the same sense, He has asked me to follow what He has laid on my heart..and in doing such, it takes full trust and confidence in who He is as my Lord to know that He has plans to prosper me...not in the traditional monetary way, but in a spiritual manner..
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I hear my friends making plans for their futures; i see them cry out in frustration and despair when things don't go the way they'd planned, feeling that God has forgotten them yet they continue to live against His will; i see things of a spiritual nature that have wrapped themselves around some of us that have whispered in our ears that the way in which we're living our lives is alright..it's fine..it's normal.
It's wrong.

But, Lord..let it begin with me..
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

Speaking for myself, i know the time is now to make the stand for Him..to be what He asks of me; to truly be a man of God, that others may come to know Him, and to see His grace and mercy (for all sinners) by what He has done in my life..this isn't said with pride, but with humility and conviction..
Speaking for myself, i know its time to walk with Him..to follow His lead; to truly be a servant and disciple of Christ, that others may come to know the freedom of salvation and the truth that is only found in Him..this isn't said in self-righteousness, but with a sincere heart and a desire to see others saved..

Mark 13:13
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Romans 5:1-3
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance