[encountering the chabod]

All schools try to make orientation day an exciting event that sets off a students academic career with excitement that they hope will carry on through the first semester. What they really hope to do is sustain you until homecoming and then reenergize you to keep you excited until the next break. What this fails to do is cause you to be excited about every day of classes. After all, who can really be all that excited about theories and regimens that are suggested for further study on a daily basis? Even Christian colleges and universities are not exempt from this.

Enter Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Never have I been so challenged nor felt the weightiness of the presence of God on a "Rules Day" at any school.

The day began with worship. An hour went by and it felt as though it were a moment. Forty-five minutes later the Spirit was still heavy on the worship. By the time all the introductions were made and Bill Johnson stood to speak, some people were unable to stand, others were unable to stop laughing. The power of God was so strong. There was no moment where the weight of God's glory was not felt. And today was the "rules day!" If today was like that, then tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next will just build on it. The excitement and expectation levels are electric! We will have more of God's presence and His glory.

As long as we have a pulse, we can handle more of God.

You know, I've often heard a story told about John Wesley and his experience with the weight of God's glory and how it washed over him in wave after wave after wave until he felt that he could no longer withstand the power of God. I want that experience, but instead, I want to get to that place where I feel like I will die, and just keep going. There's a certain boldness in Esther's words that we need to grab hold of. I go before the King and if I perish, I perish. Understanding that as we enter the presence of the King, we enter a place where if we are not right, we may perish. When the weightiness of the presence of God comes on us, we experience power in an amazing way. Sometimes it may cause us to feel that if it continues or progresses then we will die. But as long as we have a pulse, we can handle more of God. He will only give you as much of Him as you choose to handle. Will you push the boundaries set by others? Will you expand the borders you have imposed?

It's funny, we pray from here on earth to there in heaven in wailing and crying pleas, doing anything that we think needs to be done in order to get God to move. But in reality we need to be praying from where we are seated in heaven to where He is seated in heaven (since we are already seated with Him in heavenly places) and out of the realization of our authority there- because to be seated with Him does not mean "in the same room as," but "next to," we can speak to any situation here and expect correct results.

I am going before the King daily, I have not yet perished so I return because as long I breathe and have a pulse, I can handle more of Him and more of His glory!

(side note: during classes on wednesday, i opened my computer to take notes only to discover that my computer screen had so much gold dust on it that i could scarcely see through it. i had to continuously wipe off the screen to write, but after a certain point, note taking became futile and the guys sitting next to me started anointing each other with the gold dust! if this is happening on the second day of classes, and we move from glory to glory to glory, then the chabod of heaven- the weightiness of God's glory will intensify and we will soon experience incredible new things!!)

the Gospel of the Kingdom and logical natural conclusions

< soap box >

so here it is all laid out:

it's all in our mindset. remember my blog about perspective, well this is going to take it one step further... how we view things in the church determines how we allow God to move.

i don't know what denomination you attend or even your theology, and i don't have a desire to put down any denomination or theology, but i am convinced that the only way we can overcome our faultlines and our rifts is by having a Kingdom mindset. and what do i mean by this? i mean, seeing the world through the Kingdom's Visionary- the King Himself.

i am thoroughly convinced that all theological controversies can be rectified simply by filtering the issues through the life of Christ. after all, if He is to be our example then why aren't we living like Him?

ok, so check this out: if we determine that Jesus is the Word and He became flesh (John 1:1), and that the Word was with God and the Word was God (also John 1:1) and that He dwelt among us (John 1:14) and by seeing Him, we are witnesses of His glory (also John 1:14), and we are to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2), then we must take note of the things He did, even imitating them... all of them. we can't just pick and choose the things that He did that we can do. if we do, where do we begin and where does it end? if Jesus did certain things where He was more God than man, then how do we determine what it is that we can do and what is beyond our grasp?

my point is this: if we are called to be ministers of the Gospel (the good news) then we must realize what that entails. What did Jesus say the Gospel is? Everytime Jesus mentions the Gospel, it is always preceded with or followed by the words "of the kingdom." what is the Gospel of the Kingdom? the kingdom of heaven is at hand. how can this be? if heaven is a future place. how can it be at hand? how can it be relevant and attained now?

what happens in heaven does not stay in heaven

remember when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and Jesus gave them the teaching that's been come to be known as the Lord's prayer? "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." what exactly does this mean? is it a petition for a future event or is it for that time that it is prayed?

if everywhere that Jesus went, people were healed and set free and those things accompanied the gospel of the kingdom, then what is our natural conclusion? if we were philosophy students, then our natural logical conclusion would have to be that anywhere the gospel of the kingdom goes, people will be healed of physical ailments and set free from demonic oppression.

so, then, it begs the question, does the Gospel that we preach line up with the Gospel Jesus taught? what is the central focus of our Gospel compared to Jesus' gospel?

if we are to conclude that the Gospel that we teach is superior than the one that Jesus taught, then we must wonder why? if the student is not above the master (matthew 10:24), then how is our gospel higher than that of Christ? what gives our message the pass of not having the signs and wonders that Christ's message had?

did He not commission the 12 (and then the 70) to go out and preach the gospel of the kingdom and gave them the power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity? in point of fact, did not Jesus say, "And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give." (Matthew 10)?

chances are, if God repeats a theme, there's a reason for it. if it is recorded over and over, there's clearly something we have to grab from it. it usually means that He's trying to drive a point home. so if the gospel of the Kingdom is confirmed with signs, wonders and miracles, then it should be that if we preach the gospel of Christ, which is the gospel of the Kingdom, then it should be confirmed in the same way.

that is not to say that we will always see the results, but shouldn't we walk as though we will? yes, it puts a HUGE responsibility on us... but can we expect anything less? i mean, He entrusted us with the gospel of the kingdom, don't we owe it to people to pass out the entire gospel? shouldn't we be getting off of our blessed assurances and be out giving the gospel away?

what does it say about us as a church universal if we are more concerned with saving our christian society than we are about preaching the gospel that Jesus preached- the gospel of the Kingdom?

what about doing the works of Christ and doing greater things (John 14)?

the logical natural conclusion is that what we preach as the gospel is not what Jesus preached as the gospel. if God confirmed what Jesus preached with power; and if He confirmed what the Twelve and the 72 preached with power, then wouldn't it be in His best interest to do the same today? After all, isn't He the same yesterday, today and forever?

remember the Lord's prayer? His will for ours, on earth as it is in heaven. is there any sickness, any disease in heaven? then it must not be His will there- the conclusion? His will for ours, on earth as it is in heaven. the logical natural conclusion?

you figure it out...

< /soap box >

[perspective]

perspective is a very funny thing. have you ever noticed that if you sit slightly left of center you can see into the wings on stage left?

because you can see into the wings, you may be able to see who is entering onto the stage from that side; but it does not mean you know what's going on backstage. nor does it mean that you have enough information to make a judgement about the plot of the play.

have you noticed that from where you are seated, you have no clue what's occuring in the wings on stage right?

where you position yourself may give you clarity on one thing but it may cause you to become blind to something else that may be of greater importance.

it is easy to draw conclusions from where you are sitting but that rarely makes it right and only serves to inform you of one thing: you are contemptable. familiarity breeds contempt- even contempt for the unknown.

someone who takes pride in guessing the plot of a story before the plot is fully revealed has revealed something about themselves. they are far too easily bored and/or have sat through too many plays. they have missed out on the most important part of the play: the play itself.

your perspective does not make you correct, it means you see it differently. different, though enlightening, does not automatically equate to inerrant. opinion mixed with truth is as safe to stomach as a molatov cocktail.

if you must believe only in what you see and can deduct by reason, then you can close shop and stop calling what you believe "faith."

the great tragedy is not that there are people passionately pursuing the Presence of God despite how you choose to view them. the great tragedy is that there are people who have packed up their ability to believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. and they have reduced their belief system to faith in a future heaven and their lives to sitting in the critics' booth. a place that is neither reserved for nor willingly relinquished to them.

the audience of life is not for those who are supposed to be living it, but for those who are the great cloud of witnesses.

don't miss the play for want of an opinionated critique.

[how to be devastatingly attractive]

the word perfume used today derives from the latin "per fume", meaning through smoke. the art of making perfume began in in ancient mesopotamia and egypt but was developed and further refined by the romans and the arabs. although perfume and perfumery also existed in ancient asia, most of its fragrances were incense based.

knowledge of perfumery came to europe as early as the 14th century due partially to arabic influences and knowledge. but it was the hungarians who ultimately introduced the first modern perfume.

the difficulty to produce and sustain a scent caused perfumes to only be affordable by royalty. creating a scent often proved frustrating to many early perfumers because adding even the minutest amount of the wrong addition to the mix would render the entire batch worthless.

there comes a time when we must realize we have to grow up. are we really who the Lord Jesus wants us to be? do we have small things in our lives that hinder other people's salvation? remember, small things ruin good perfume. we who are saved are living an exchanged life. it's our life for Christ's. our life for the sake of the gospel. living the exchanged life isn't about the occassional laughs or compromises. we need to be attractive- not marketed

so here i present five keys to being devestatingly attractive.

1. we need to be carriers of life. we need to want to be carriers of life. john donne wrote, 'take me to you, imprison me, for i, except you enthrall me, shall never be free, nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.' what he was saying is that without an unmistakable interaction with the Most High, we will never be free. nor will we ever be faithful to Him unless our souls are ravished by Him. and this interaction with Him will transliterate into our interactions with each other.

1 peter 4:8 says, "above all things, have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sin [forgives and disregards the sins of others].

don't repel people. bring them in. don't make promises that you can't make good on. just tell them simply what God wants to do in their life. speak life into their lives.

2. we need to be real. be genuine. don't be religious.

1 corinthians 9:19-23 says, 'for although i am free in every way from anyone's control, i have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that i might gain the more [for Christ]. to the jews i became as a jew, that i might win jews; to men under the law, [i became] as one under the law, though not myself being under the law, that i might win those under the law. to those without (outside) law i became as one without law, not that i am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that i am [especially keeping] within and committed to the law of Christ, that i might win those who are without law. to the weak (wanting in discernment) i have become weak (wanting in discernment) that i might win the weak and overscrupulous. i have [in short] become all things to all men, that i might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ]. and i do this for the sake of the good news (the gospel), in order that i may become a participator in it and share in its [blessings along with you].'

be committed to being the image of Christ to all those who seek Him, even if they are unsure that they are seeking Him. most people know what they are not looking for. they have no clue what they are looking for- they just know what it doesn't look like. and for most- it doesn't look like the american church.

titus 3:3 implores us to have compassion on others because we were just like them, and in some cases, still are in many ways just like them. 'for we also were once thoughtless and senseless, obstinate and disobedient, deluded and misled; [we too were once] slaves to all sorts of cravings and pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy and envy, hateful (hated, detestable) and hating one another.'

open your heart to people and allow God to work in you. there is a whole generation looking for Jesus, they just don't know who you're working for!

3. show confidence. know who you are in Christ.

greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

we are princes and princesses of the Most High God. we have all access to His glory, His favor and His army. release the glory whereever you can. release favor whenever you need to. release His army and overcome the enemy!

proverb 3:33 says, 'the curse of the Lord is in and on the house of the wicked, but He declares blessed (joyful and favored with blessings) the home of the just and consistently righteous.' and philippians 1:6 states, 'for God is my witness how i long for and pursue you all with love, in the tender mercies of Jesus Christ [Himself]!'

we need to pursue the world in all love. hang in there and do not even consider quitting. you are a prince or a princess of the King of all kings.

4. be an influence in life. we need to influence; not be influenced.

in a world where opinion rules the masses, it's time to stand up and stand out. even though the pulsating river of public opinion surges around you, remember that dead fish go with the flow. salmon will swim itself bloody against the flow of a river to get where it can produce life.

if you have anything at all to say, speak the Word. the Word of Life brings life.

and that leads us to point number five.

5. bring life to dead men.

as i wrote before, don't make promises that you can't make good on. dead men who need to live again don't want to hear that there's bread at a place that has mouldy bread. those that are desperate for God can tell when the Spirit of God is moving in a place. they're disillusioned by christians who run around and claim there's an awesome move of God, when the wind is blowing the water. what they need is the Spirit moving the water. dead men need to live. you have rivers of living water flowing within you! give away some of your water and you will see the well spring up and overflow. but if you cap the well, it will dry up.

God doesn't need madison avenue strategem to bring people to Him. He knows how to do it and He's been doing it better for a lot longer than we can even think of. so, perhaps it's high time to follow what He's doing. live an attractive lifestyle. be devestatingly attractive.

scattered thoughts on a [web]page

i really don't know where i'm heading with this, or if it will even matter. to anyone. really. if there's one thing i love to do more than anything in the world, it's to sit and contemplate. i think about everything. i think about nothing. i think about things that need to change. things that i need to change. things that should be changed; things that will be changed; things that are being changed.

i think about things that have little significance and things that have the utmost importance.

what can i change today? if you're sad, will i make you happy? if you're being avoided, can i talk to you? if you're avoiding people, can i look into your eyes and tell you it will be alright? i hope you let me.

what's the most important change i can make today? what is the most significant thing that i can do today?

i like to think about the future. i like to look down the road and have a map. but i fear that taking the shortest route will deprive me of the scenery along the way. what is more beautiful, cold steel and black pavement weaving through a cement and glass world; or rolling hills covered in heather, woods teeming with life, waterfalls and wildflowers? shouldn't life be about the journey and not about the destination?

i think that's kinda what the christian walk is all about too... it's not about our destination, it's about how we obtain our destiny. if we're looking for the quickest route, we'll miss the lessons and the beauty along the way. if we're looking for the shortest route, we'll miss the opportunities to have an impact on someone's life...

that's something to think about...

i like to think about the people who i've met recently and those i've known for years. not to find out who means more to me than anyone else; but to imagine what sort of impact my life has had on theirs.

certainly, i've not been the best influence on some, and i've let some others down. but then, how many people have i inspired? how many people have i touched? it's not about sheer volume or a numerical quota. i just like to evaluate how much of an impact i've really had on people. think of it as a the "it's a wonderful life" syndrome without the suicidal depression.

i've come a long way from that. really. i mean it. i used to be depressed. i used to be suicidal. i don't know why i'm telling the whole world this. it was an intensely private thing for me. the problem with suicidal depression is that it is so quiet and hidden that usually the person who is suffering from it is usually the only one who knows they have it. why? because they're the only who who knows how they feel. not that others don't feel their pain, but others can't read their minds. suicidal depression. i've come a long way.

i like to think.

i was my senior class secretary. that means i got to pick the quotes for the class motto... i chose a whole bunch of crappy ones and one really good one (yeah, it was pretty manipulative... but that's politics... :wink:). our class motto? "remember these three things: from whence you came, to where you are headed, and to whom you must give account." benjamin franklin wrote that and i like to think about it.

the thing about the future is that we don't know where we are going. i mean, we know the ultimate end- our final destination be it one of two places. but i mean we don't know our destinations along the way. we may set goals and work towards obtaining them, but if a goal is our destination then we are selling ourselves short.

if retirement is my destination then i have already resigned myself to insignificance. however, if bringing hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless, being a father to the fatherless and a shelter to the shelterless is my destiny, then what should i care if i do not know where the wind blows? if i am pursuing God's destiny for my life, i will end up in my final destination with little physical evidence to show for it, but a treasure of great significance. i would gladly trade a lifetime of depreciating money, fleeting power and wavering influence for a lifetime of aiding those who are desperate for God's love. that is satisfaction.

i said before, i do not know where my thoughts will take me today, but i do know this- i want to make you smile.

be blessed today. i wrote this for you.

thoughts on galatians 4 and john 14:18

you know, i've been writing a lot but not posting them anywhere on any blog for a while. i've been dealing with a lot of "stuff" lately. and last night, i was at peace for the first time in a long time.

God is good, isn't He? wow. relief. unmistakable, undeniable.

grace. it's all around me, embracing me. grace-ing me. i can rest easy. breathe deeply, smile freely. dance joyously and laugh openly.

God is simply amazing, isn't He?

He never leaves us alone. never orphaned, never exposed. never lost, never denied love. the inheritance is mine. it's yours. i am loved. i am the son of THE King. and that makes me a prince.

while i may not be THE Crown Prince, i am a prince. on day, i may have a crown to present my King. everything in the kingdom is my inheritance. i like that. look what i can give away!

God is awe-inspiring, isn't He?

peace. it's a fruit of the Spirit. that means it's a result of the Spirit. a product of the Spirit. where there is no Spirit, there is no peace. peace is not the absence of war, it is the presence of the Spirit!

[4 AM]

4 AM

it's 4 am
i'm awake again
You awaken me
to teach me new things
of the mysteries of Your majesty
the Spirit's glorious melodies

the fall of man
the call of man
touching all of man
i'm doing all i can
to hear Your voice
and make the choice
but You quicken me
so that i can see
the mysteries
of Your majesty
and sing the Spirit's glorious melodies

there You are
and here am i
You're drawing me
to You're side
up and in
up and in
holding me
yet calling me
up and in
up and in

stripping pride
so that i
may hear You
these new clothes i'm in
bring me into the mysteries
of Your majesty
to sing the Spirit's glorious melodies

what's been done
i have become
i'm stepping in
Your glory
and as i walk
in obedience
the miracles
tell the story
of the mysteries
of Your majesty
singing the Spirit's glorious melodies
of the mysteries
of Your majesty
and Your glory...

[the comfortable garment]

at one point, i thought i knew the direction i was heading in, now i feel as though i'm lying on my back on a merry-go-round spinning in circles.

perhaps the reason we have a Comforter is because God is so insistent that life be so uncomfortable. not that He revels in our discomfort,but that He is glorified when we find our comfort in Him alone.

why do bad things happen to good people? the traditional answer is "only God knows" or "all things work together for good (which is inherently true)" or even "God knows what He is doing." and though they may bring some comfort, they place the weight if the guilt on God as though God were being gently malicious. the comfortable answer is the accusatory one, the blame-shifting answer. the uncomfortable answer is the avoided one. He wants to use us for His glory, He wants to include us in His plan to heal the broken-hearted, to give life to the dead, to bind up the wounded and restore them to healing and a right walk with God.

but what if we're still wounded ourselves? will the healing come when we reach out to others?

will He use me? the comfortable answer is yes or even He already is,the uncomfortable answer is what am i doing to prepare?

what position am i am i putting my heart in, my life in, to bring Him the most glory? when i bring Him glory, then shall i wear His glory. when i wear His glory, i can carry it anywhere with ease. is it not easier to wear a shirt or jacket than to have to carry it around? it is why we tie our coats around our necks or waists instead of holding them in our hands. it is restrictive to hold something in our hands, we either have to put it down or put it on in order to free our hands for use. there is no garment less restrictive than the glory of God.

the Word of God says "put on a garment of praise..." and "put on the whole armor of God..." not carry them. too often we try to slip these items on over what we are already wearing but we need to realize that we must completely change our wardrobes, which includes stripping down tothe nakedness of humility and begin again with the clothing of the Spirit. "the Church is only beautiful when she is clothed with the Spirit."

[more]

i've been reflecting a lot these last two weeks, more so this most recent one. introspection often leads one of two directions. for some, it leads to hubris, a false sense of self. for the others, it leads to humility, a real look into what's really inside.

when everything is said and done and the final chapter of my life is written, what will others have to say about me? what is my legacy? how will i be remembered? while, these thoughts may be a bit premature to be contemplating at 25, i can't shake the necessity to consider them.

what if, at 25, my life is required of me? what will people say? i fear that most people will say my life was a tragedy. "he died too young." "he could have done more." among others are thoughts that i can easily hear people say. "he died too young with little to show for it." truth. understandably so. would i be missed? of course, there are people who would miss me. but would my life have counted? i am ashamed to honestly say, most likely not.

and so, i ask, am i the sum of my mistakes? or am i more than this? more importantly, what will those who i have interacted with have to say about me? i don't want people to say they were sorry to hear that i passed. and i certainly don't want to hear someone ever say that i couldn't be trusted.

not trustworthy, that's what i would say... a particaularly harsh rebuke to swallow. a devestatingly obvious answer to my earlier questions- what would people say about me if i were gone at age 25.

i do not want this chain. i am not asking for some hyper-spiritual emotional release. that is to say, i am not seeking someone to tell me, "you are forgiven," and then to never hear from them again. i do not seek pity.my greatest fear in life is not that i will fail financially or in the workplace. my greatest fear is failure in relationship. not merely a dating relationship. but a relationship with others, and of the utmost importance, my relationship with God.

what will my legacy be? what will they say about me when i'm gone? am i more than a good friend and a fun roommate?

when i am lying on my back i do not wish to say with my dying breath "i am more than what i look like, i am more than where i've been, i am more than what they say about me."

i am more.

[the journey]

words fail.
so do men.
and then we awaken
to realize that the answer we seek
the answer we crave
is not at all what we thought it would be
or where we thought it should be
the quest
will go to the highest heights
to the deepest of seas
and when we return
the Answer has been instep with us
guiding us, holding us, grace-ing us
loving us, taking us where we long
to go. with Him, to Him, for Him, from Him.
and that's where
we belong. the search
for home leads us straight
into His loving arms.
and there we find a place
where He cries with us,
and then He causes us to smile.
the journey of a thousand miles, ends
with a step towards Him.

[don't eat the seed]

the parable of the sower...

there is a spiritual application of the natural law of sowing and reaping. for those in the neo-pentecostal/ charismatic movements, we've heard for years about sowing and reaping in the realm of finances. and that is good. but that's not where i'm going today.

there is an application that we miss sometimes. i'm talking today about prophetic sowing, and sowing into miracles. not just by giving finances, but by not eating the seeds.

God has given us seeds. one of the biggest seeds He has given us is the Word. what we do with that Seed will determine our harvest. if we simply read it, it may entertain us. if we only memorize it, it may come back to our rememberance. but if we embrace it, it will sustain us. revelation 12:11 says we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb (the Word that became flesh...) and the word of our testimony; that is, if we sow the seed.

if we just eat the seed and leave feeling full and content, then we will have nothing to show for it in the long run. we will be fat, full- and easily overtaken. if we leave revival meetings excited and energized, while these are both good emotions, these fail to determine the harvest. it's what we do with the seed that was given to us, that determines the harvest.

yes, the speaker (pastor, evangelist, prophet, teacher, brother, sister, whomever...) sowed their seeds into us, but it's up to us to sow the seeds into our own lives- that is to make sure the seeds reached the good soil and not the rough soil.

even though it's an old adage, and many people take it for granted, if you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you will feed him (and his family and maybe give him a career) for a lifetime.

in a famine-starved country, people are hungry enough, that if you give them seed, they will eat it instead of planting it. they will consider the now and not the later. then when the harvest comes, they will have nothing to show for it. why? because they ate the seed.

so where am i going with this?

how many times have we sat in meetings where the presence of God was manifest and we are fed, just a taste, and then we walk out, after hearing about changing the world and do nothing with it? after all, just how do we apply "whatever it takes, whatever the cost" messages? or how often do we hear accounts of miracles and see the glory of God manifest, yet seem to lose the battle of belief when it comes to our own situations?

i love listening to bill johnson preach. my roommate gets his podcasts and we eagerly listen to each one as soon as they come out. the reason i love listening to him so much? the testimonies that he shares at the beginning. they are so energizing and refreshing. but, remember what i stated previously? bill johnson gives me seeds when he preaches. (i'm pretty sure he knows it, and i'm sure he expects a massive harvest by sowing those seeds into my life and countless others) but what do we do with those seeds? what are we to do with those seeds?

psalm 126 gives us a good idea of how to sow those seeds. verses five and six say, "those who sow in tears will reap in joy. those who go out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them."

if we sow these seeds we are given in the tears of prayer, worship, meditation on the word and personal application of the word, then we will reap a bountiful harvest. what you sow, you will reap. if you sow prophecy, you will reap prophecy. if you sow testimonies of miracles, you will reap testimonies of miracles. if you sow the seeds of soul-winning, you will reap the harvest of souls. if you sow seeds, you will reap a harvest of food and the seeds to grow more.

however, this isn't just a feel good message. if you sow carnality, you will reap a harvest of carnality and judgement. some of us, even people who read this, either in passing or intentionally, are sowing this seed and know that the harvest is coming. you know it, and it scares you. it is ok. ecclesiastes says there is a time to plant and time to uproot. now is a time for both. uproot the carnality. sow the good seed...

...and yes, if you sow financially, you will reap financially.

[live the revolution!]

[walking on water]

sometimes i feel as though i ride an immense rollercoaster of emotions. i can be so high and then plummet so far so quickly that i easily become disorientated- am i standing on my feet or on my head?

it is times like these that i am forced to consider what it is that i actually believe to be true.

i was listening to the radio in my car a few days ago and a listener called in to comment that all people need to do to find peace, hope, identity and healing is just start helping others. while i embrace the caller’s motive to assist others, i must question the wisdom of such a broad statement.

clearly, a recovering alcoholic would be a fool to enter into his favorite watering hole to rescue some of the patrons. you would never suggest to a recovering drug addict that they should go to a crack house and attempt to rescue other addicts. so where is the wisdom in sending out wounded, tormented christians to reach wounded, tormented souls?

the foolishness of God is wiser than all the wisdom of men. that which, by all comprehension, should not work, does. God does not follow logic- He transcends it. while we cannot always comprehend the ways God chooses to work, we can come to embrace the fact that God is for us and everything He does is designed with each and every one of us in mind. His plan is both all-encompassing and intensely personal. Both broad scale and directly intimate.

the identity struggle is deeply rooted in how open we are to intimacy. if we struggle to be intimate, we will struggle to discover who we are. if we cannot open up ourselves to others and learn to trust them, the how can we expect that we will be completely honest with God who already knows everything about us?
it is a cop-out to think that because God knows everything about us that we don't need to communicate our sins and needs with Him.

we can do the impossible. we can attempt the impossible without fear because God will never belittle us for attempting the impossible. and more often than not, we will discover that what seems naturally impossible is completely within the realm of possibilty for God- in fact, it is when we refuse to attempt the impossible that we fail God.

peter walked on the water. we read that story and only focus on the part where peter began to sink. the lesson we take from the story is that we need to keep our eyes on Christ. this is true- but entirely incomplete. peter walked on the water! the lesson we need to take from this is that we can attempt the impossible with complete confidence that we will succeed so long as it is within the will of God!

was peter a perfected human? was he complete and whole? history tells us no. and so, i revisit my earlier question, "is it wise to send out imperfect and wounded christians to reach and bring healing to wounded and tormented souls?" i say yes. because what humanly and naturally impossible, when approached through God's purposeful plan, becomes completely possible and attainable.

[the battle of inheritance]

[The Battle of Inheritance]

Written by: Eric Johnson

“We are not allowed to apologize for something that has been given to us for free.” ~ Anonymous

Something that fascinates me is how families with a long line of heritage function. There is a dynamic that takes place that is sometimes missed by the naked eye. It’s the pressure that is generated when the younger generation begins to get involved in what the older generation is doing. It occurs when the new generation is recognizing the inheritance they are receiving.

A transition takes place, and this pressure gives them an incredible opportunity. This pressure will cause them to find their own identity and reveal what that identity is. If their identity is healthy, they will prosper and increase upon the inheritance they have received. If their identity is on crutches, they will perform and/or demote themselves and actually sabotage their inheritance. Interestingly, many times people do this without even knowing what they are doing. They tend to do it in the name of humility.

A culture where individualism is glorified can, in more ways than we think, lead people to reject something that was already there--inheritance. Let’s take, for example, a family business, which the father and mother have built up successfully and for which they have hired numerous employees. Let’s say one of their employees is their son or daughter. This son or daughter will probably hear directly or get the feeling from other employees that the reason he/she has a job is that his/her dad and mom own the place. What that son or daughter does at this point is important. His or her reaction will show the state of his/her identity.

If he allows this pressure to move him to a place to “perform” and “prove” to others that he deserves this job by his own merit, he is possibly operating out of a poverty mindset. A poverty mindset will lead people to a place where they will naturally destroy something that may have been building momentum for generations, thus possibly causing this generation to go back to “square one.”

If he doesn’t turn to performance mode, he instead may walk away from an inheritance because he has believed the lie that he didn’t deserve it. So he feels the need to prove himself by doing it on his own to show others and himself that he is capable. This reaction can also possibly bring a generation back to square one.

These types of decisions form a pattern that causes years of plowing and sowing to be flushed away. It dramatically interferes with something that God set into motion from the beginning of mankind: that is to build upon what has been given to us for free, not just to build upon what we have worked so hard for.

A different effect takes place when someone works really hard and receives the fruit of his labor. It’s rewarding, and most say he deserved it because he worked hard for it. Then there is someone who receives an inheritance--something that he probably had nothing to do with. In other words, it isn’t the fruit of his own but of someone else’s labor.

It is important that we work really hard to create a culture and environment where this concept of inheritance is legal and healthy not just in theory but also in practice. The key is to understand that each one of us has an inheritance and to make sure that our identity is intact and that we are more concerned with what God thinks and says than what man thinks and says. When we do this, the pressure no longer controls what we do.

I believe one big reason there is such emphasis on having a healthy identity in the body of Christ isn’t just so we can be successful today but to prepare us so that when the momentum of history catches us, we can steward it correctly.

“We are not allowed to apologize for something that has been given to us for free.” ~ Anonymous

[history makers]

[history makers]

an article by kris vallottan

every so often in the course of history there are individuals born who defy common reason and statistical explanation. these are the great ones, who break the tether of their generation’s expectations and rise to the high call that seems to echo from somewhere beyond the grave.

the prophets of old peered into the future and spoke of these violent ones who would force their way into the Kingdom, take hold of Heaven and pull it down to earth. these reigning saints refuse to have their exploits be a mere reflection of the past, but instead break the gravitational barriers of naysayers and doubters, and journey far beyond the boundaries of reason into places where no one has ever gone before. ultimately they capture the prize of the upward call of God that lies in Christ Jesus. these are God’s history makers, the Lord’s chosen people, His mighty men, His holy nation.

many of us can feel the vacuum of this vortex drawing our hearts into this divine destiny. we find our inner man longing, stirring, and burning for the great adventure. live or die, we must press through the walls of mediocrity and find the Promised Land of our souls. we live with a passion to be numbered among those who have gained fame in the halls of Heaven and are feared among the prison guards of hell. if we are going to walk as God’s ruling royalty, we have to:

➢ pray unceasingly

➢ give sacrificially

➢ dream unreasonably

➢ serve wholeheartedly

➢ love unashamedly

➢ walk innocently

➢ believe undoubtingly

➢ live powerfully

these are the qualities of the Bride of Christ in all of her glory. she is called to be the most creative force on the face of the earth. therefore, we must not allow ourselves to become known for our boxes, that is, famous for what we don’t do because of our “righteous” constrictions. abraham lincoln, george washington and benjamin franklin had certain moral values that restrained their behavior, but they were famous for what they did, not for what they didn’t do! it would be tragic if the most creative people on the face of the earth allowed themselves to be reduced to rent-a-cops guarding a box (the ark of the covenant) that God vacated 2,000 years ago.

the truth is that if we don’t take our rightful place in the earth, we will relegate sinners, void of the mind of Christ, barred from the wisdom of the ages, and wandering in utter darkness, to being the most brilliant minds of our time! if the brightest light in this world belonged to those locked in darkness, how great would the darkness be in our world? something is fundamentally wrong with this picture, but this is our brain on religion. religion is like kryptonite to Superman. religion can conform the most righteous, reigning saints into mindless zombies, puppets repeating someone else’s convictions they don’t even understand themselves.

attack of the clones

i am convinced that religion is the father of genetic cloning. religion invented cloning long before the world ever thought of it. religion has a way of sucking the most powerful people on the planet into a spiritual look-a-like contest, calling it discipleship. true discipleship is meant to empower people to be transformed into the image of their Creator, but religion redefines the terms, conforming people into replicas of their leaders. religion takes God’s mighty men and makes them artifacts in a museum.

religious people, like the pharisees of old, have the hardest time reaching out to folks who think “outside of the box” and don’t behave inside their hopeless shackles. part of the struggle comes from what they have done to the Savior of the world. they have sterilized the gospel. Jesus took water and turned it to wine, but 2,000 years later, today’s pharisees have diluted it to grape juice. religion has reduced the supernatural power of God to a history lesson about serving the dead body of a helpless Christ who, still nailed to the cross, is incapable of rocking their sacred boat. they emphasize the drowning of baptism, arguing over how people should get wet and what should be said over them during their dipping. religious people have lost touch with the fact that the bold print of baptism is not on the descent but on the ascension. the death of Christ paid for our sins, but it was His resurrection that gave life to our mortal bodies. religion embraces death sadistically and moves the risen Christ out of the garden and back to the tomb. religious people pray things like “God, kill me,” not realizing that even the One who came to give His life as a ransom for us all prayed, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup (of death) from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus did not want to die; He wanted to do His Father’s will. if religion had its way, it would rewrite mary’s proclamation to read, “He is in the tomb just where we laid Him!” we have lost sight of the fact that the cross was for the old man not the new man, and that the true christian life is not about dying for Christ, but living in the life He purchased for us to establish His Kingdom on earth! the church must shake off the shackles of religion and embrace our supernatural destiny.

our commission

the world is crying out in distress, and we must not miss this kairos moment, the opportunity of the ages. in the late sixties, the beatles took america by storm. in a few short years, four boys from liverpool altered the course of our nation’s history. soon after, the world was swept into the wake of their anointing—all while they were singing “yeah, yeah, yeah.” But it wasn’t long before the fab four started to experience a crisis in their own souls. they began to cry out in desperation, singing,

help, i need somebody

help, not just anybody

help, you know i need someone, help

when i was younger, so much younger than today,

i never needed anybody’s help in any way.

but now those days are gone, i’m not so self-assured

now i find i’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors

help me if you can, i’m feeling down

and i do appreciate you being ‘round

help me get my feet back on the ground.

won’t you please, please help me

help me, help me, ooh.

but their cry for help fell on deaf ears in the sanctuary of hope, and soon they were calling hare krishna their “sweet lord.” the vhurch can’t afford to fall asleep in the harvest today as we have done so many times in the past. we are not supposed to reflect our culture; we are commissioned to transform it.

we are called to disciple all the nations of the world. discipling nations means submerging them in God—not religion—and “teaching them all I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). teaching nations how to think is the transformational catalyst to changing cultures. but as long as christians aren’t valued in society, they will have no influence in the world. (you only have as much influence in people’s lives as they have value for you. anytime you try to have more influence than someone has value for you, you will manipulate them.) it is imperative that we become kings who understand the ways royal people influence authority. otherwise, we will reduce ourselves to social begging, hoping that the BIG, powerful people feel compassion for us and help our cause. this poisonous poverty mindset reduces the christian message to a cry for help instead of a call for leadership. we don’t need nations to change for our sake. we have a living, abiding, unshakable Kingdom that dwells within us and prospers under all circumstances. we need the nations to change for the sake of those still lost in darkness. they need the culture around them to create a safe environment for them until they get the Kingdom within them.

this cultural begging has relegated the Kingdom of God to a subculture. God never intended christianity to be a subculture. subcultures are those cultures that are subservient to a more powerful culture. the world’s commentary on the first century church reflects the true influence we are meant to have in society. they proclaimed, “these who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (acts 17:6 nkjv). we are called to turn the world around and set it back on its feet again. we are to be counter-culture until the mindset of the nations begins to take on the attitude of the Kingdom. christians are not subservient to the world because God has assigned us the highest level of authority that exists on this planet. when christians lose their desire and courage to confront the evils of our day honorably, we begin to be influenced by the lying principalities that are also commissioned to disciple the nations, but with an antichrist agenda. these demonic forces work to dethrone the Prince of Peace, Who is the rightful prince of the principles that make societies prosper, and instead enthrone the prince of darkness. consequently, the enabling principles of a culture become demonically inspired instead of Kingdom in-Spirited. Ttis dark prince works to establish evil thinking that leads to destructive behaviors. but when Jesus rules, He enables the principles of the King to transform the culture through the mind of Christ. in other words, people in a nation governed by the Kingdom begin to think like God!

however, it is important that we learn how to carry His power and authority. if we believers become combative instead of honorably confronting we will reduce our influence to the small pond of the church and render ourselves powerless in the ocean of humanity. we are to carry God’s authority into the lives of people and nations through invitation, not through intrusion or invasion. although we are called to be combative to the powers of darkness, we are to be honorably confronting to people, demonstrating the benefits and rewards of a superior Kingdom.

[drunk people do crazy things!]

hey every one, i came across this article by kevin dedmon and i thought that it would be beneficial to post it here. it challenged me and i pray it challenges you as well.

DRUNK PEOPLE DO CRAZY THINGS!
written by Kevin Dodman

It is true, drunk people do crazy things. They will say the craziest things to anyone who will listen (even if they won’t listen). They will laugh out loud, oftentimes for no apparent reason, and without any sensitivity to their surroundings whatsoever. They will dance, fall on the ground, sway as they walk, and completely sacrifice their personal dignity. Why? Because they are drunk.

They are not concerned with what people think about them at the moment. They have lost all fear of man, not concerning themselves in the least with the aftermath of humiliation that is sure to follow their actions. They therefore express themselves freely. They will even attempt the dangerous, like driving a vehicle or jumping off cliffs into shallow water, crazy things that they would never even dream of doing if they were sober. Why? Because they are drunk. Drunk people do crazy things!

In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul gives this instruction to Christians: “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (NIV).

This word “debauchery” means to be so influenced by the effects of alcohol that one loses all inhibition, so that they do things of negative and evil consequence that they would not do if they were sober. In other words, debauchery is doing crazy things that you are really ashamed of the next morning.

Being filled with the Spirit, on the other hand, causes one to do crazy things, but the difference is that those things are things that you are proud of the next morning. Interestingly, the phrase, “be filled”, is not a one time event. In the Greek, this is a present tense verb, which has a continual sense associated with the action. So, more accurately, Paul is instructing the Church to “be continually filled with the Spirit”; to drink everyday, the “new wine” of the Spirit. Why? Because drunk people do crazy things!

On the Day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2, the Church was filled with the Holy Spirit. In verse 13, the crowd made fun of them and said “they have had too much wine”. Peter’s response to this accusation is found in verse 15: “These men are not drunk as you suppose...”. Notice, he does not deny the fact that they are drunk, or at the least, acting drunk. He simply lets them know that they are not drunk in the way that they think that they are drunk. The source of their drunkenness is not due to the wine of the world, but rather the new wine of the Holy Spirit. He explains all of this in verse 17, as he outlines the fulfilled prophetic promise of Joel that God would pour out His Spirit on all people.

Notice that Peter got out of the box, crazy, as he found the courage to stand up to address the crowd of onlookers. This is the same Peter that denied the Lord three times! And now he has unabashed boldness to preach the Gospel to the same angry crowd that had earlier crucified Jesus. The only thing that can explain this uninhibited behavior is the fact that he was drunk. Drunk people do crazy things. And I’m sure he was very proud of his actions the next morning, especially when he realized that 3,000 people had been saved as a result of his boldness under the influence of the Spirit!

Jesus has commanded us to do crazy things like heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons; to preach the message of the Kingdom (Matt. 10:7,8). He has commanded us to be His witnesses in the whole earth as his ambassadors (Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20). He told Ananias, through a supernatural vision, to go to Saul’s house on Straight Street and lay hands on him to receive his sight, which was a crazy proposal given the fact that Saul was arresting Christians and giving approval for their executions (Acts 9).

I used to never pray for the sick. Not because I didn’t believe in healing. I taught on healing. I just didn’t believe that I had what it took to pray for people for them to be healed. I used the excuse that I just didn’t have the “gift”. Interestingly, after learning to let the Holy Spirit influence my mind, I began to live under the influence (LUI), I began to do things that I would ordinarily never try like praying for someone to be healed. Amazingly, people started getting healed. I started to drink and drive, and when I would get to my destination, I would find supernatural boldness to step out and take crazy amounts of risk to pray for the sick at supermarkets, airports, or at family gatherings. And guess what? People started getting healed.

I have found that most people have a hard time stepping out in risk in the Kingdom because they are too intimidated by what others will think. I want to suggest that you try getting absolutely drunk on the Spirit of God until you have no inhibitions left, and just see what kind of great “crazy” things God can do through your life. Remember, drunk people do crazy things!

[tried and proven: adding meaning to your bible]

life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you're not looking. i mean, in less than a year, i met a beautiful young woman, started dating, met her family, fell in love with her family, made some mistakes, grown a lot, abruptly stopped dating, grew some more, moved out on my own, and started working in a hotel.

now i'm probably moving away from north carolina out to california for a change of schools and a change of scenery. and yet through all of the tumultuous times, God has proven faithful.

God is faithful. He has always been faithful, and He will always remain faithful.

to illustrate:

a few years ago an elderly saint passed away. she lived alone in her house and she had outlived all of her closest friends. her children came in from all over the country for the funeral. her pastor who only knew of her in passing, came to ask her children about their mother so that he might say some kind things about her at her funeral.

her children informed him that they really had no information that he might find useful, but they handed him her old, well-worn bible. he thanked them and got into his car. when he arrived at his home, he pulled out the bible and began to explore. pen marks and hand-written notes were everywhere. tithing envelopes and bulletins spilled from the covers. bookmarks seperated out the most often visited locations in the bible for easy access and one thing kept catching the pastor's eye.

on the margins of the page next to the verse numbers, two letters kept appearing. tp followed by numbers. perplexed, the pastor called the woman's eldest son and asked if he could help to sort out what these letters and numbers may have symbolized. he told the pastor that he had no clue but one of his sisters may. after asking each of the children and no answer given, the pastor committed to continuing searching through this bible.

as he flipped through the psalms, he began to see a pattern. the letters frequently appeared by promises and by descriptions of who God is. but this still gave no indication as to what the letters meant.

finally, the pastor caught a break when he saw the words tried and proven next to a particularly strong promise in isaiah. this revelation challenged the pastor. it was also then that the pastor realized that the numbers were not random, but dates. here he was looking into the life of a woman of strong faith. she had dared to take God at His word and hold Him accountable to proving He meant what He said. and God had proven every single promise to her.

at the funeral, the pastor rose to give the eulogy, and something began to happen. as he recounted how he did had not taken the opportunity to get to know this saintly sister, he suddenly realized that her greatest legacy was not something that could even be measured by man.

she had a thick bible. a bible full of meaning and proofs. a bible that was more than a collection of revered words, but precious promises.

do you have a thick bible full of meaning and proven promises or is yours thin and lifeless?

[confronting humanness]

"to err is human, to forgive is divine"

i don't know who wrote that and right now i don't really care to do the homework on it. but while it surfaces as humility, the core smacks of hubris, contempt and self-efficacy.

the root of the problem is hiding behind our ability to be human. the counter argument is that we are human beings. or, in the most literal definition, we have the very nature of all that is human. while i am not saying that we are not homo sapiens, i am arguing that as christians, we are born again and because of this, we are no longer bound to the rules of being human.

i guess the greater question is if we associate errors with our humanity and forgiveness with divinity, are we, then, both human and divine? the biblical answer is complex and is in no way easy to explain. to write off and say that we are solely natural with spiritual attributes is a start but it diminishes the depth of our inheritance as heirs of Christ. to flat out say we are divine would be paradoxical at best, heritical at worst, and it does little more than elevate our minds to a point where we believe we are divine and we answer to no one.

genesis recounts that God created man in His image out of the dust of the ground, then God breathed into man. creation and animation. but we are the more than the sum of simple creation and animation.

we have been endowed with power from on high, empowered to do the will of God through the Holy Spirit, and encouraged to follow the example set by Christ. so what are we afraid of? what are we hiding behind?

it is true that we may find ourselves afraid of what others think of us, however, the only Person we should be concerned about is God-- and He has told us what He thinks of us. He has shown us what He thinks about us. He loves us. more than that, He adores us.

if the Creator of all things adores us, then what is there to be afraid of? if God be for us, then who can stand against us? not even the gates of hell will prevail against the ever increasing kingdom of our Lord.

to err is human. it is a part of human nature. an almost unreconcilable fact in our lives. we will make errors. but will we allow those errors to define us?

to forgive is divine. we have been gifted the ability to forgive- to be unable to forgive would be a death sentence of eternal guilt. by granting forgiveness, we are not elevated to a divine status, we are partnering with the Uncreated One to release others (and even ourselves) from the guilt of condemnation and the weight of judgement.

is it a divine skill? no. it is a right of the Divine that He has allowed us to partake in. as such, the freedom one experiences in both the act of forgiveness and being forgiven certainly can certainly feel a lot like divinity.

[musings from a distant land]

alright, so let's be straight-up, i'm not in a literal distant land, and it's been way too long since i updated this thing. it's not a big deal, i suppose since any one in their right mind would have stopped visiting long ago. however, i will resurrect this blog regardless of who is or is not reading it.

the distant land of which i speak is metaphorical. it is, in short, my own mind.

there is no doubt that i am a moderately travelled human being. having spent time in seven countries on three continents (and God-willing it will not end there), and my intracontinental travels has not concluded either.

it looks as though, i may be moving again, it will be a great move indeed as it may be a cross-country move.

why move again? i will be transfering to a different school, and as has become a standard theme in my scholastic career, i will begin again from the beginning.

a comical side note: a friend of mine whom i graduated high school with is graduating from med school this year. yes, seven years have gone by and i still do not have the degree that i desire to have.

in all fairness, i can't really say that i actually desire a degree. maybe just the chance to say that i finished school. and then to go on into ministry. that would be nice.

nice. it's the american dream. to have a nice job; live in a nice house, with a nice wife and nice kids; have nice pets; drive a nice car...

i guess after thinking about it, i don't want nice. after all, aren't i a self-professed revolution clarion? how can i serve coffee and donuts when paul was accused of throwing the then known-world into a riot? but this isn't about paul is it? i mean, if the apostle paul were around today, he'd probably be stymied by the fact that we preach a gospel so devoid of power that most of the anointing on a service is in the preceeding free coffee in the front lobby.

that sugar rush or caffiene fix is more powerful and more moving than what occurs in most services every weekend. oh, the music may be good, and the preacher might be able to get out a few good words, but the full weight of the glory is felt monday through saturday. it can be measured by the heaviness of a blue monday for a pastor or by the actions of the church attenders throughout the week.

forget hurting paul's feelings for a moment. what would more modern church leaders have to say? simply running through a short list of names would be enough to make us squirm in our seats. yet, these are not the ones who are being let down by our inaction and impotence.

rather, we sell short those in the world around us when we do not live as we are called or according the purposes for which we were called. but let's go one step deeper.

what does it say about us if we focus the thoughts and opinions of men? well, for one, it makes us human. and that's part of the problem. while we are human, we are not heirs of this world. that is, we are not heirs of this world if we believe what we say we believe to the point of action...

[pause for effect]

that being said, the only One we should be concerned about hurting, humiliating or misrepresenting is the King of all kings Himself.

with this in mind, we should remain mindful of the premise that what is done in the name of Christ and what is actually commissioned by God are not always identical. it has been a great travesty that many atrocities have been committed under the guise of doing the will of God. this is nothing more than a broad scale self-justification. it is weak and does a great injustice to God Himself.

His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. But that does not mean we are not capable of having the mind of Christ. paul encourages us to have the mind of Christ; to renew our minds; to make an impact on this world, not with earthly wisdom, but with the power of the Holy Spirit. it is why paul proudly proclaims that he came to the corinthians not with strength of speech so that their faith would be in their words, but with the true power of the Holy Spirit, so that their faith would reside solely in the power of God.

make no mistake about it, the pen is mightier than the sword. when benjamin franklin wrote that he could conquer the world with 26 ready soldiers he was not referring to a company of men- he was referring to the characters in the english alphabet. words are greater than blade or bullet, but the power of God is even greater still.

and it is this power of God that we have access to as heirs of Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit. why aren't we accessing this power? what are we to do with this power?

tomorrow we'll explore the treachery of hiding behind human nature. saturday we'll explore the purpose of this power.

for the world-wide renown of His sovereign glory...