ICONOCLASTIC LOVE

Obama... Change... Patriotism...What's The Remedy

Take a moment to read through this MSN article:  Obama Faces Down His Patriotism Hurdle.

As I was reading through it all last night - and after watching him respond to the behavior of Reverend Wright, I saw something that I've never seen in a United States President.

I saw and someone actually stand and state that they would like to re-define PATRIOTISM!

Wow - that got my attention.  I'm not even sure the Church is trying to do that. 

The Patriots are one of America's Favorite Champions!

Red, White, and Blue Define our flavor of pride!

We stick our boot in people's ass' who mess with us.

In a world wide survey asking the question, "Are you proud to be [insert nationality]?" It ranges from 1 (not proud) to 4 (very proud), here were the results:

Country	Score
USA	3.73
India	3.67
South Africa	3.55
Canada	3.53
Slovenia	3.46
Spain	3.28
Denmark	3.27
Italy	3.25
Sweden	3.22
France	3.18
Finland	3.17
Belgium	3.07
Netherlands	2.93
Germany	2.75
Average	3.26

No one in the known world is more identified with pride in regards to their "Patriotism" than the United States of America.

Does this need "Change"?

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If Obama has done anything well in his campaign - he has established an identity with the word "CHANGE".  No one could argue that "Change" isn't a great mission statement for a presidential campaign in the United states in 2008.

Take a look around with me and tell me what you would like to see changed in America based on the following topics:

• Religion & Christianity
• Poverty
• Racism
• Social Justice
• Abortion, Homelessness
• Debt, Materialism
• Pollution & Waste
• Our Economy
• War and National Relations
• Health Care and Disease
• Education and Leadership
• Criminal Justice
• Freedom of Speech, Art, Porn, ...
• Marriage & Family
• Sports & Entertainment
• Media and Marketing

.... But Patriotism?

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What presidential candidate - who really wanted to win would even begin to change the United States of America's ... Patriotism?

Patriotism - in my opinion - is the most important social issue in America and is most what needs to be re-defined and changed in the church - if we're ever going to see Kingdom Level Change in America.

That's a bold move!

Proverbs 16:18 is pretty popular and well known:  "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." 

Just look at history and every great nation that ever existed.

So if we're the most proud nation on earth - then what's coming around the corner for us?  You don't even have to be a prophet of God to fortell that one!

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Regardless if you like Obama or not - everyone knows what his campaign is about:  CHANGE!

When I read the MSN article last night - I went to sleep thinking,

"He may be going down, but he's serious about "change".  His identity isn't in the colors "red white and blue" - he wants to take patriotism to a whole notha level."

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I'm not voting for Obama.  I'm not voting for Clinton.  And, unfortunately, I'm not crazy about John McCain either.

It's the first time in my adult life that I don't want to vote because I don't like having to pick amongst the best of the worse.

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Some of you may find yourself in the same situation.  If so - I recommend that you take about a week and pour over "Jesus For President" by Shane Claiborne.

I've read most of the Stanley Haurwas books and John Howard Yoder material - and while I'm not in the same category of politics as these guys - I did find Claiborne's material much more practical in regards to how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven - while being a citizen of the United States.

I gained some better insights on how to approach voting this year in the last couple of chapters.

I developed a greater since of clarity in regards to what I can do to bring about "CHANGE".

It doesn't make since to me to make fun of presidential candidates.  It doesn't help anything for me to sit on the sidelines of my life and hope someone else makes a difference.

I have a responsibility to do what I can do where I live as I am able.

I agree with Obama - Patriotism needs to be changed - But I know that if the Church isn't going to do it - It isn't going to happen.

Jesus himself will most likely not change America until the church changes.

If Jesus isn't the Remedy - then i don't know who is.  If the Church won't let him save the world through her love, then i don't know what will change the world.

Dr. Phil, The Big Give, & Secrecy

Do you want to know what my wife Sarah is really really good at?  She's the best at secrecy; meaning, She's an expert at preventing her left hand from knowing what her right hand is doing.

I'm horrible at it.  I'm not alone am I?

At the bottom of this post, I've offered a solution that I'm going to practice with you all this week.

Most of us are a bit like Dr. Phil's show in that we have ways of doing things that are going to be seen and benefit us in the name of "helping others".

Wow - Dr. Phil got ripped by Barbara Atkinson in an MSN Special.

Evidently - Employees of the Dr. Phil television show posted bail for a central Florida teenager jailed for taking part in a videotaped beating of another teen, a spokeswoman for the show's host confirmed Saturday.  Of course the public is seeing this as a ridiculous stunt of "helping out" in order to "get the story".  It looks like a big mess.

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"The Big Give" is very entertaining to watch.  Sarah and I watch it weekly - but it's a success because everyone would love to give someone else's money away and get to feel good about it in the end.

Even Dr. Phil - in the American Idol "Give's Back" promotion - encouraged Americans in saying, "Come on, Give Back - It Feels Really Good!"

Nothing wrong with "feeling good" - but "feeling good" and "being seen" is more about who?  Us, right? 

Just like Jesus, right?  nope!

I really wish we weren't like this in our core.  I really wish we were all a bit less "publicity" oriented.  Pharisees were like this and Jesus had a pretty big beef about it all.  It really aggravated Him that humanity was much like ants scrambling for a bit of a bit when it came to publicity.

It's not about "Celebrities Gone Bad" in my opinion - it's just how messed up our whole system of life is.

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Altruism is about having the purest motive in one's behavior with no expectation of any benefit in return.

Personally, I don't think this is really possible - we all get something out of everything we do.

But - our society is screwed - there's such a draw to get in the middle of horrible issues and "get the story" or get to "help out."

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I've seen this a million times in the Church world.

People brag about how many hours they stayed up with a dying person. 

Pastors arrive with sirens scrolling at the scene offering "help" - but hoping their church benefits from the kind gesture.

I've seen women jockey for position to be the first ones on the scene to deliver the casserole for the grieving family. 

I've had people come up to me and say things like:

• Oh - "it would be really good if you would go see _____________."  And it's not really about helping _________ - it's about being seen helping ________________.
• Oh Jeff, "I'm so glad you went over to ______________'s house - maybe they'll come to church now.
• "Smart move Jeff... I heard you stopped by _________ yesterday.  Good Idea!"

I'm not exaggerating a bit.

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We all have had a bit of this in us from time to time.  It's simple social politics - but it's the worse of kinds.

Honestly - I'm not always good at keeping my right hand from knowing what my left hand is doing - but I want to get better.  Again - My wife is AWESOME at this - I really think she has the purest heart on earth.  She really doesn't care about being seen at all.

I wish we were all more like this - and I bet Dr. Phil is wishing his team were more like this today as well.

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Some Practical Applications of Secrecy:

1. Go into your room, close the door behind you and pray.  Spend an entire week doing little things for people in such a way that no one knows about it but you and the Lord.
2. Give generously to someone without them or anyone else knowing about it - ever
3. When you go through a tollbooth, pay for the next ten cars behind you as well.
4. Send an unsigned card expressing love and encouragement to a neighbor.
5. Make up a basket of gift certificates and drop it at someone's door (that's the kind of ding-dong-digit people love!).

Church Planting

Check out jesusculture.org

It's no longer about 'starting a church' - It's more about "Invading a culture with the Kingdom of God's Love" and there are a billion ways to do this.

The great thing about church planting today is that it's much more about the Kingdom of God than it is about building an empire or big church... it's about doing something in a culture of people that is so full of God that no one can get the credit for it.

There are so many - millions - of gifted ministers in the world - and church planting has become more about networking and doing life together within a community than it is about building a congregation.

Though -   ....  there's a huge purpose for healthy local congregations of believers and local church government...

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I've been interested in Church Planting for the past 12 years that I've been in ministry.  In 1996, I attended my first Willow Creek Leadership Summit in Chicago, Illinois.

At the conference - I left with the following question in my heart from one of the speakers:

"If you were free to go anywhere in the world and do anything God wanted you to do in order to use your life to make the greatest impact on the world WITH GOD - where would you go - what would you do - what would be your focus - and how would you live?"

My answer to that question was:  "I would start a church for the glory of God!" - that was it - that was all that my 22 year old brain and heart could fathom with the Lord.

I began reading all I could read on church leadership, spiritual growth, personal development, culture, and church planting.  I couldn't get enough of the Lord and I couldn't read enough on "church leadership".

Little did I know that I would be married and divorced within the next 3 years and deeply wondering if anything in ministry was ever going to happen.  I came up against a barrage of obstacles that seriously challenged the "call" in my heart.

But I kept growing - moving forward - pressing through very tough situations and I ended up preaching at a small church in Greenville, Ky and finishing my Master's degree.

In Kentucky, I kept the vision to "start a church" but - it matured into a clearer context of "multiplying churches" in small towns around the world.

Then I moved to Sulphur Springs, Tx - I kept that same vision:  "Plant and multiply churches in small towns in Northeast Texas and around the world."

After all that I experienced in Sulphur Springs - the vision just got more and more clear.  God put me in touch with many many leaders who had a greater capacity than I did for the vision.

NOW I SEE that ALL of the past 12 years has been preparation for me to do what God called me to do and we're now entering the next phases of preparation.

• The key to being an effective church planter is having inside of you what you want to create outside of you.  This is why we've been resting and going to counseling and retreating and slowing down...
• It takes a very still and peaceful disposition to accurately hear from the Lord and it takes and well Spirit Oiled unity in a marriage vision for a church plant to last the long haul
• It's much better to do the tough work up front...

There's such a different strategy for church planting today - IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CONGREGATION!  This is why it's still so fresh to me.  The Lord continually gives new vision and new mercies to the world every morning.

I love How the Lord has taken this all so far beyond "starting a church" - it's now about "Invading a culture with the Kingdom's Love".  It transcends any local congregation and is truly about the Lord and people.

He has/is stripping me of the "mega church/empire" mentality that permeated so many young leaders in the 90's as we all saw what Hybles and Warren did.  What young pastor wouldn't want to "start a church" after visiting the Willow Creek Campus in the mid 90's?

These churches are successful in the Kingdom because of the roots - not the methods.

So - we're relaying the foundation of the vision in our hearts and allowing the heart to catch up with the vision...?

Make sense?

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I like what I've seen over the past 15 years in Pastor Dino Rizzo at The Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La.

I remember when this church started - I was a sophomore at LSU and just cutting my teeth on the mission of God for my life.

Dino started this ministry as an outreach to the poor and needy.  It was a true mission church that was designed to offer healing to the Baton Rouge community and the world.

Recently, Pastor Rizzo has been heavily involved in a church plant organization called ARC (Association of Related Churches) out of Baton Rouge, La.

They train pastors to plant missional Spirit-Filled churches in North America. 

This week, they hosted an ARC Conference in Birmingham, Alabama and Pastor Dino spoke on "Engaging the Future". 

When I read his post last night on his blog - I felt that I had to re-post it here and give a huge "keep speaking, Lord - we're listening and ready to do something!"

Here is the post:

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Engaging the Future

"Here’s some thoughts I shared at the ARC conference today. Check out Luke 10:33-37.

Here’s verse 33 from the NIV:

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

Here are six hot topics we have to be ready as a church to engage:

1. The need of engaging our very own cities
We have found (and are still finding) new ways to reach out to our city that are proving effective - like kids sports leagues, food distribution, mobile medical and dental clinics, dream centers, strip club outreaches and water giveaways. But what Healing Place Church does in Baton Rouge may not work in Topeka, Buffalo and Santa Barbara. You have to know your community and engage it based on the needs you see.

2. The need of engaging the poor
The Church has to develop a culture of recognizing the poor in and around our communities. They are there. We have to realize that “poor” isn’t just those with little in the way of finances, but those who are less fortunate than us - those who have a shortage in their health, in their family, in their relationships. The poor are among us. The poor are part of us. We just need to recognize and embrace them.

3. The need of engaging clean water
According to www.globalissues.org, 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to clean water. That’s about one out of six people on the planet! They also report that millions of women spend several hours a day collecting water. I have seen it going on first-hand when I was in Africa. We have to engage this problem that quite often can so easily be solved. For more information: Blood:Water Mission, 1000 Wells

4. The need of engaging AIDS
It isn’t just a homosexual problem, or a problem for Africa. It is our problem today. UNAIDS/WHO reports that 2.5 million people contracted the disease in 2007 alone. Statistics state that there are anywhere between 14 and 18 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. We cannot turn a blind eye to AIDS - we have to engage it by caring for those hurting and dying because of it and do all we can to help prevent others from contracting it. For more information: Children’s Cup, Mission of Mercy

5. The need of engaging human trafficking
Equip and Empower’s A21 Campaign site reports that nearly two million children are forcibly trafficked each year by the commercial sex trade industry. How can we not engage this need as the body of Christ? For more information: A21

6. The need of engaging our very own heart
We must increase our capacity personally and as groups of believers in the body of Christ so that we can actually do something about these needs. We have to keep our hearts in check - feeding ourselves the Word of God and spending time with the Author of life so that we can be filled with the truth that will set people free and see lives rescued from these terrible situations. We need to be messengers of hope - so we must continually fill our own hearts with the Giver of hope. We need to develop who we are. For more information: Dan Ohlerking post of notes from a recent HPC staff meeting I taught."

Into the Wild

If you're like me - you've at least heard of "Wild at Heart" or you've read it a 100 times yourself. 

If you're a pastor or teacher - you've probably led a men's study through much of the material or you've come up against the grunts and bravery of the ones who have.

There are extremes to this, I know.  Have you seen Into the Wild?

IN the spring of 1992, after traveling around the country for two years, Christopher McCandless, a 24-year-old Virginian and Emory graduate, hitchhiked to Alaska and set off into the wilderness with little more than a .22-caliber rifle and a 10-pound sack of rice.

Not far from the Teklanika River, he set up camp in an abandoned International Harvester bus, a 1940s relic of the Fairbanks City Transit System. He lived there for four months, from late April to late August, before finally starving to death. When his body was discovered in September, he weighed only 67 pounds.

This is definately a pretty extreme movie for the 21st Century.

As I listened to the soundtrack this morning, I was reminded that there was a time when this idea wasn't very extreme.

It's sort of a mix of Eldredge and Abraham.

Adventure - Risk - Freedom - Survival - No Limits - A Little Social Rebellion - A Cry For More -

I have it deep in me!

I don't have the unbalanced extreme that McCandles had.

Even he wrote at the end of the movie, "Happiness is only happiness when shared."

It is not good for man to be alone. 

It is not good for man to be too independent. 

It is not good for man to be too extreme.

But it is GREAT for man to know who he is deeply, well connected to God and others, and respond to the call of God to leave the familiar routines - when the routines become our gods - and follow him into the Great Adventure that HE has instore for us.

Settled inside and content - but never settling...  Home inside and restful - but not home yet!  Always pressing in -  Always pressing on...

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Take a moment to read Eldredge's post today from The Ransomed Heart:

There Comes a Time When You Have to Leave All That Is Familiar
04/16/2008

"The history of a man's relationship with God is the story of how God calls him out, takes him on a journey, and gives him his true name. Most of us have thought it was the story of how God sits on his throne waiting to whack a man broadside when he steps out of line. Not so. He created Adam for adventure, battle, and beauty; he created us for a unique place in his story and he is committed to bringing us back to the original design.

So God calls Abram out from Ur of the Chaldeas to a land he has never seen, to the frontier, and along the way Abram gets a new name. He becomes Abraham. God takes Jacob off into Mesopotamia somewhere to learn things he has to learn and cannot learn at his mother's side. When he rides back into town, he has a limp and a new name as well.

Even if your father did his job, he can only take you partway. There comes a time when you have to leave all that is familiar and go on into the unknown with God.

Saul was a guy who really thought he understood the story and very much liked the part he had written for himself. He was the hero of his own little miniseries, Saul the Avenger. After that little matter on the Damascus road he becomes Paul ; and rather than heading back into all of the old and familiar ways, he is led out into Arabia for three years to learn directly from God.

Jesus shows us that initiation can happen even when we've lost our father or grandfather. He's the carpenter's son, which means Joseph was able to help him in the early days of his journey. But when we meet the young man Jesus, Joseph is out of the picture. Jesus has a new teacher-his true Father-and it is from him he must learn who he really is and what he's really made of."

(Wild at Heart , 103-4)

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What is going on in your life that looks like you're about to get a new name?

Where is the Lord taking you deep inside that you don't really know yet - and aren't really sure you want to go?

Are you listening?  The journey is deep into the heart of God and doesn't usually require a physical journey - but sometimes does.

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Keeping In Step With the Spirit

I'm so excited about the next few months of our lives!

The greatest advice anyone has given me during the past 6 months has been, "Keep in step with the Spirit."  This is such a powerful statement and requires a daily abiding walk with the Lord.  It also requires:

• seeking counsel from people who love you and know you well
• staying connected to people who are stronger than you
• staying close to people who have been further down the road than you are
• staying open to the Lord and avoiding ALL forms of impulsive decisions
• Asking for help as you need it and accepting it graciously
• staying deeply connected to the Lord through His word, study, listening, prayer, worship.  I can't tell you how many hours the Lord has drawn me in to seek - search - listen - rest - read - journal - rest - repent - discuss - process ...
• Avoiding all extremes and every form of bitterness, vengeance, frustration, control, slander,...
• Believing the Lord cares deeply for us
• EXPECTING for morning to come throughout the journey and envisioning it daily together
• Explore opportunities and remain steady inside regardless of the offers and expectations of other people for my life

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In the process of "keeping in step with the Spirit" - We believe that God sets up appointments along the way that help prepare us as we're open for whatever is next. We believe in seizing every opportunity that the Lord gives us to grow and mature.

We've also been blessed to have had great business opportunities and lots of support from family and friends that has allowed us to remain steady and not have to make rash decisions.  We've stayed still and feel that we've stayed in step with the Lord throughout our transition.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster at times - but we've stayed still and steady.

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STEPS WE'RE TAKING NEXT

We're steadily and slowly packing up the house to close on May 15th. 

We were able to purchase some additional property behind our house and are making plans to close it all in.  Most of it is already fenced in - but we will be finishing up the sides in the next week or so.

After the house closes - we'll be staying in Sulphur Springs for another few weeks.  We'll put our stuff in storage and will be staying with some friends until school is over for Shelby in early June.

Then we plan on traveling quite a bit.  Sarah and the kids will be staying in Kentucky during the month of July.  They're also going to Michigan and will probably meet me at the beach somewhere for a few days.

I hope I have all of my August Fundraisers ready by June - but if I don't - then I'll be finishing up August Fundraisers during the summer.  August is a huge month for Universal Fundraising.

That's the main reason we're waiting until September to buy a new house - it just gives us more time to save - pray - travel - and discern!

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Other than that - here are a few other things that are coming up in the next few months:

April 21st - 24th :  Sarah and I are flying to Orlando for a church planter's conference.  We're so excited about spending some time away with our friends and hearing some of my favorite authors and speakers in America. 

Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Alan Hirsch, Dave Ferguson, Bill Easom, and many others will be addressing many of the cultural issues in America that desperately need addressing.  I know it's going to be great - I haven't been to anything like this in over 4 years.

There's a Planter's Spouses Track that Sarah will be taking.  She has also enjoyed reading the Church Planting Wives Blog. to help get some perspective from other women who have been a part of the church planting adventure.

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June 18-19 : Sarah and I are making plans to attend THRIVE: I PROMISE.  It's a marriage retreat sponsored by Gateway Church on Friday from 3:00 - 9:00 and Saturday from 8:30 - 12:00.  The speakers will be Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. Greg Smalley.  They are some of the best teachers on the subject of marriage.  They co-wrote "The DNA of Relationships".

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June 24th - June 29th I will be going on a week long retreat called "The Quest".  It's a part of the Fellowship of the Sword Ministry and this week will be men from Gateway Church.

There are 30 days of prep work such as prayer, journaling, scripture memorization, reading, ... and 30 days of follow up work after the 6 day Quest.  I'm beyond thrilled to get to be a part of this trip.

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August 30th - September 7th I will be going with a mission team to Israel from Gateway Church.  A few friends of mine from Sulphur Springs will be going also.

This has been a dream of mine for the past 15 years or so.  I cannot express the joy in my heart about this opportunity.  We'll be traveling with Pastor Geoff Cohen and Pastor Juan Constantino from Gateway and touring with one of the best guides in the world. 

Our Tour Guide will be Arie Bar David.  This is a photo of Arie and his wife Esther.  Arie's bio is pretty phenomenal - I'll share it in another post.  He conducts orchestras, served as a commander in the 6 days war in 1967 and as a front lines commander in the war of attrition in 1969, the Yom-Kippur war in 1973, and the Lebanon war in 1982. 

He has been a believer in the Lord for many years and has given tours of Israel since he was 21 years old.  In 1999, Arie graduated from the Ministry of Tourism course and is a licensed tour guide. Geoff says that he schedules his trips around this guy's schedule.  I'll share more about that later.

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This trip is sorta the tail end and new beginning of our next steps in life.

We're still not sure where we're going to end up at the end of the summer.

We're not planning to buy a house until September - for several reasons - so we're looking forward to a really FULL summer - lots of time with family and friends - and getting some clear direction from the Lord about what he wants us to do next.

Should be an exciting road ahead!

Can't wait to see it all unfold!

Hardwired For God - but missing some elements for connection

By its nature the human soul is Christian; Christianity is always adopted by people as something forgotten or lost and suddenly remembered. Leo Tolstoy  (Alan Hirsch writes more here)

I find this line of thinking to be interesting.  It's an interesting way of looking at the basic goodness of humanity and is a pretty good explanation for the compassionate heart in most of humanity.

But, is the opposite true as well?

By its nature the human soul is Christ-less; the Kingdom of God is most often entered into by people who have unknowingly and knowingly longed for connection with the enteral Way of God but lacked the ability to attain it on their own.  Jeff Jenkins

I don't know,  Is it possible that both are right?

I personally believe that we're all hardwired to crave God and long for the "more"... for as long as we live.  Once a human ceases to long for the "more" - they're pretty much dead.

But, just because we all by nature long for eternity - doesn't mean that we're all created "Christian" - forget it - and then remember it.

All are created in God's image with nature that has forgotten it's original design - and therefore occasionally good natured.

AND

All are created with a Christ-less tendency to wander far away from God without some other dementional help.  My one year old proves this everyday!

hmmmm...  The Kingdom of God ...  It's worth seeking ... and it's worth finding ... and it's worth entering into fully ... and it's worth demonstrating powerfully.

We're all hardwired to crave it - but somewhere along the road, our wires get a bit crossed and we begin to settle in and lose the cravings.

Salvation is more about a re-wiring - a reminder - a process of being envisioned to see and experience what we all long for.

Salvation is less about a one time experience or profession of faith - it's a life long journey and an instantaneous transformation at the same time. 

It's all unexplainable - that's why Jesus used so many parables.

It's sorta like a mustard seed... or a man who took a trip ... or a farmer who sowed some seed ...

American Idol Goes ... Jesus!

If Jesus were to step on the American Idol platform and speak to the church - I think we'd all miss it.

I think he actually did it - and the sad thing is that most Christians missed it - because most Christians think the church has the market on doing "good".

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Ok - here are three things that have blown my mind about  American Idol this year:

1. Last week, the Clark Brothers sang "This Little Light of Mine" on American Idol.  In the live version they sang "jesus on main line, tell him what you want..."  - "If you need a healing, tell him what you want"  "don't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine"...  veeeeeehhhhdy Interesting...

2.  Dolly Parton followed the Clark Brothers by singing "Jesus and Gravity"

3.  Tonight - the American Idol final 8 sang an awesome rendition of "Shout to the Lord"

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And of all the networks in the world - FOX hasn't been the most likely to praise Jesus over the past few years.

Interesting...

I also don't think it's all marketing politics - it was too risky for that...very risky. 

I actually expected them to go the other direction the following week because of the criticism they may have gotten, but they actually took it another level higher with "Shout to the Lord".

Whose Idea Was That?

I actually watched the Clark Brothers and cringed a few times thinking, "man - that's pretty much as bold as you can get in pop culture with the message of faith, healing, miracles, Jesus, evangelism..."

It would be interesting to watch Jesus step on the stage in the middle of this cultural craze - and speak to the church from the American Idol platform.

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Have you noticed any "Christians" talking in the ballpark of...

"Yeah,  American Idol gave alot of money last night to help the poor and take care of the needy - but that's secular.  What honors God is when Christians reach the lost.  American Idol's work didn't count because it wasn't in the name of Jesus."

Ok - perhaps I'm not quoting anyone in particular - but I did hear someone say something like that on 100.7 FM today around 3:00.

Here are a few things to think about:

• American Idol raised over $60,000,000 in less than 24 hours to fulfill the very heart of the gospel of Christ - invade poverty, sickness, death, disease, hunger, orphaned, widowed, helpless with the light of hope and love.
• Most of the donations that I've seen eventually will be channeled through Christian based non-profit organizations - that don't care about getting the glory
• Non of the efforts that are being financed have anything to do with a local Christian congregation
• God channels resources into the hands of people who are the most responsible stewards... if the church won't do what he wants us to do - he'll happily use .... anyone with a beating heart for what he cares about.

I like what American Idol and America did/is doing - regardless of the motive - I also don't want to downgrade the incredible way the church is honoring God as well.

No one has the market on Missions - however, the church is, by nature - missions.

What American Idol did last night is SUPPOSED to be the norm for the church.

"Give Back" is supposed to be normal.

It was sorta like Easter when everyone goes to church and preachers say, "Hey welcome to ______ Church.  You guests are here to celebrate the resurrection today - but we celebrate it every day..."

It's the norm.  Giving - blessing - helping - loving - relieving - reaching - caring - ... is the normal church.  Anything else is abnormal - even wrong, right?

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Today I listened to one of my favorite songs at least 30 times.  Here's the phrase that just broke my heart all day:

"Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Check it out

I just have to think that people who have a broken heart for the things that break the heart of God - and actually use their lives to do something about it - aren't wasting their time.

All of humanity seems to be catching on to the heart of God in amazing ways.

Jesus effects the world through whoever will love - and when the "church" gets so arrogant that she thinks "loving people" is her market and when she boasts about how much she has done to love people - God does crazy things like ... throw nearly $100,000,000 into a secular television program's lap to love the world - just to show the church that he can use anyone he wants.

Lord - break my heart for what breaks yours!

The Power of Testimonies: Do We Have Ears That Hear

Do you remember when Moses put a veil over his face in Scripture?  It was first to hide the glory of God that was in his life - and then it was to hide the fact that the glory was fading away.

I've done that; haven't you?

Sometimes - other people do it for us.  They try to keep us humble so they steal our tesimony or minimize things that are happening in our lives or things that have happened.

I like what Ruth Graham said about Billy, "It's God's job to humble Billy - It's my job to encourage him and lift him up."

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Did you know that when you share your testimonies - you're not boasting about you - you're boasting about the Lord - AND - you're encouaging other people.  You're reflecting a time in your life when the glory of God broke through.

You're not a mirror reflection of God's glory - HE DEPOSITED IT IN YOU!!!  The glory of God is in you and wants out!

Friends - it's not time to hide what God is doing in your life - it's time to shine with an "ever increasing glory"!  It's time to let every drop of the goodness of God in you come forth and SHINE!!!

Don't let guilt hold it back!  Don't let shame hold it back!  Don't let confusion hold it back!  Don't let doubt, insecurity, uncertainty, fear, or anything else conceal the glory of God that is in you.

You're Bright!  So Shine!

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"Jesus said to them, ' Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed?  Instead, don't you put it on its stand?  For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.

'Consider carefully what you hear,' he continued.  'With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.'"

Questions:

1. What testimonies are you putting under a bowl?  What is the Lord doing in your life that is hidden to you and others?
2. Are there things that the Lord conceals or does in secret?  If so - what is the purpose of his concealment?  Why does he hide things for us to find in our lives?
3. What does the latter part of this scripture have to do with the first part?
4. What if the "lamp" is your testimony and daily testimonies?  If this were the case ( and it may be) - then perhaps - the measure that you use in "telling" your testimonies - will be measured to you.  As you share - you will receive more and more blessings as others encourage you with what the Lord has done in them.

Shine - notice the Lord in you - praise him for it - share it - and watch the world get a little brighter today!

The Rich Fool

I find it interesting that Jesus says in Matthew that anyone who calls his brother a fool could be in a lot of trouble.

Then in Luke 12 - we find a man who triggers the famous "Rich Fool Parable".

God must be talking about a really really really REAL fool.

Here's how it happened:

• Jesus was teaching an overcrowded, hugely, smothering, massive group of people about faith - trusting God - warning about the hypocrisy of the religious elite - accepting and trusting the Holy Spirit - and the eternal payoff of faith
• A man approaches him - apparently mid sermon - and asks Jesus to tell his brother to share his inheritance with him

I was reading this story yesterday in Starbucks and began to research and dig a bit and thought, "Wow, why did this guy trigger this parable.

Here are a couple of questions and thoughts that may make the story more puzzling or may help you hear from the Lord in this story:

• Read Deuteronomy 21:15-17
• Ask yourself "Which son is it who is approaching Jesus"
• What pressing "need" is bothering him so much that he is not interested in what Jesus is preaching
• Did Jesus know his situation
• Was his brother with him?
• As a Rabbi - Jesus would typically handle things like this - so why does he handle it with this parable and the following teachings on worry, etc?
• The rich fool/bigger barns parable is hugely applicable today regarding retirement, inheritance, generosity, hoarding wealth, greed, materialism, - but what is the point of the parable in the ears of the man who asked the question?
• How is one "rich towards God" - and is being "rich towards God" a license to pursue prosperity and wealth?
• According to this parable - What is the Holy Spirit saying to you about the Kingdom?

I'm going to be teaching pretty prophetically out of this parable tomorrow morning in a message called "How To Be A Great # 2"

I'll be dealing with:

• Preparation and being ready
• Focus and aiming your life and business affairs
• Taking Initiative - making things happen instead of waiting on things to happen
• Losing Well - maximizing your losses and learning from the past

I found in Luke 12 that God has some great things in store for people who learn to be rich, responsible, ready, and risky in their love for him.

He has an inheritance that's far greater than what this sad man was asking for a share of in Luke 12.

Be faithful!

The Power of a Bridle & Love

I can't tell you how many times the metaphor of a bridle has come up for me in ministry and in life.

Over the past year, several people who are close have told me, "Jeff, you're like a stallion who has to learn to come under control and slow down enough to really be maximized in the kingdom."

Two weeks ago, Sarah and I joined some friends at Gateway Church and listened to Robert Morris' message on meekness.  During the message I leaned over and told Sarah - "I need to buy a bridle and carry it in my car with me."

This was after Robert said, "meekness is power under control."

After ministering this morning at Power Based Living - someone came up to me and said, "Jeff I tell you, You're like a stallion and once the Lord gets you into a healthy environment, gets the good bridle in your mouth and you experience the power of a strong surrounding of people who love you and believe in you, you're really gonna fly.  So where are you in the bridle process?"

I left that brief conversation with so much affirmation in my spirit - knowing that the Lord is slowing me down for a reason.

All I can say is, I'm heading to a western store soon and buying a bridle!

Ok, maybe not for real - but I honestly can say that slowing down this Easter season is so refreshing and faith building. 

It's not easy to break - but I want to be broken.

Where's the bridle Lord - I'm ready!

5 Thoughts About Eating REALITY For Breakfast Without Getting Sick

It's a sad reality that many people live their lives without being in touch with reality.  Their heads are simply in the sand about themselves, the world around them, the condition of relationships, the truth about the course they're on in life and faith.

Reality has been the most powerful force in my life and when it is presented, observed, and received in true love - then there's no greater friend on earth.

I wanted to post a few simple things that have helped me alot regarding reality.

1.  Reality is always your friend, fantasy is most often your enemy.  Don't confuse faith and hope with fantasy.  Fantasy is actully placing your imagination or beliefs into something that you deeply know isn't reality.  Fantasy is a friend of denial.  Reality is a friend of God - God is truth.

Stay in touch with what actually "is" not what we wish things were or think things should be or could be.  The only thing that is real in the end is what is real. 

2.  Ask - seek - observe - sort through - weigh carefully - the BRUTAL FACTS.  If you honestly can't handle the truth, then reality is going to always make you nauseated when it's on your plate.

So, how do you accept things like: 

• your spouse not liking things about you, or you in general
• your performance evaluations in the workplace
• feedback on your art, music, profession
• your employees thinking you are a ___________
• your friends believing you're just not any fun
• your children thinking you're disconnected
• God thinking you're.... loveable

If you're a church leader - are you willing to poll your community and hear what they actually think about you?  What do people think about when they think about you.

Can you handle the truth, or do you just want to live your life surrounded by cheerleaders and Paula Abdul's?  "Yes men" feel good, but they'll always prevent you from the Holy Spirit's potential in your life.  (Hey, I'll admit, Paula is getting better at telling the truth.)

3.  Never Ever Ever Ever exaggerate who you are or what is going on around you.  The idea of painting a picture as being 'Brighter" or describing something as being "bigger" than it is is a deceptive management of other people's perception.  It's lying and manipulative to make others think something other than what is.

As long as advertising companies and sales people do this - they easily get caught up in not only overselling and under delivering - but also never owning up to the reality of what is.

The key to overcoming this is deeply believing that:  YOU'RE NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT... WHAT YOU DO!  But as long as you see what you do as a portrait of who you are - then you'll exaggerate reality to make yourself look better - until you embrace reality as loveable.

Exaggerating also plays out in the way you see others.  You are more likely to overlook reality in others if you're the type of person who overlooks reality in yourself.

If you project yourself as better than you are - then you will embrace people the same way.  You'll be in denial about what you're actually embracing, hiring, marrying,...

Reality is loveable!

4. Crucify excuses for why you're not what you want to be.   If you shot an 84, then don't tell everyone about how you should have shot a 76, if only.  Your "if only" story says more about your identity than it does about your game.

Shoot an 84 and own it!  Then actually work on what made you shoot it - instead of talking about what could have been if only.

As long as you live in the "should have been 76" world, then you'll never shoot 76.  Why?  Because you will become content with fantasy and your fantasy will be your reality.

Your reality will always be shorter than your excuses.

5.  Clean the inside of the dish and the outside will automatically be clean also.  Deeply valuing the Holy Spirit's power to clean the inside of your life will give you new eyes to see what is valuable in you and others. 

This will also powerfully decrease or remove your desire to have anything on your breakfast plate other than REALITY.

The truth will set you free!  Eat it and love it!

I'm off to see Tommy - He always helps me get some good reality on my plate.   

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Oh We're still not as strong as we think we are...

Rich Mullins:  We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are

I know this isn't a very great video - but just take a minute to listen to the song and process these lyrics and while you're listening, I want to share with you a little bit of what I believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is.

Surrender to Surrendering and Stop Stopping - because these are a part of our feeble efforts to earn "more" of God... and we just can't do it... we can't surrender and we can't stop.  We need grace to..."do" anything. 

Receive.

There simply has to come a point in time in your life where you stop tyring to figure it out and stop trying to even .... try at all.  You sorta surrender - you even have to surrender to surrendering.

Have you ever stopped surrendering and stopped stopping?

It's in this/these moments that I believe humanity is even barely capable of grasping the baptism of the Holy Spirit of God.

It's the outpouring of God in a believer's life where they are given the full access to the power and love of God for the mission.

How do you know if you've received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

1.  Do You Believe It's Available?  Or are there doctrinal or logical barriers that prevent you from believing?  Skeptical?  Confused?  Uncertain? 

2.  If you believe God's power and Holy Spirit are available to you, then have you asked God for it? My experience and understanding is that there's often laying on of hands associated with this.  It's actually an elementary teaching according to Hebrews 6.  He even uses the phrase "baptisms" and not "baptism" (singular) in this text.   chew on it a bit... It doesn't need to be delayed very far beyond one's salvation experience.

3.  If you've asked God for it, and received it, then Is there any evidence of it in your life?

This baptism is evidenced in the fruits of the Spirit:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self Control and more.  If I've been baptized by the Holy Spirit and recieved his power into my life - then there's gonna be some fruits along the way.

This baptism is also evidenced in the gifts of the Spirit.  For years, the charismatics have gotten a bad rap in this area - because they've exclusively stated that THE evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is seen in the ability to speak in tongues.

Scripture just doesn't say this anywhere...

When a person receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they're given full access to the power of love AND the ability to experience God's gifts of grace for their lives in ministry. 

None of the gifts are any more of a sign than the other - even Paul says that the greatest of all is love and without love - all of the gifts are meaningless and fruitless.  He says that he would rather believers pursue prophecy than tongues because of the power prophecy has in edifying the whole body.  But he doesn't negate or minimize the gift of tongues.  God gives people the supernatural ability to speak languages they've never studied and the ability to interpret...  stretching, I know - but it's the Bible - it's God's will.

Not all have all of the gifts, and actually, no one that I know of has all of the gifts.

Nonetheless - there is a greater reality to the grace gifts of God for a believer than we're aware of.

He gives us an ability to communicate with him with the Holy Spirit that is in us in spiritual prayer - it's beyond our intellect and thought processes.  Prayer in the Spirit is available to every believer who has the Holy Spirit.  It's the privilege of allowing the Spirit to pray through you.

It's for your benefit and to build you up.

He also gives us the power to pray with our minds - in a way that allows us to come into agreement with God in our minds and ask for things from our heart and minds.

He gives us the privilege of experiencing his spoken and written Word in fresh and in powerful ways.  He gives us access to revelation of his love and presence.  He gives and gives and gives and gives - there's more to it than I can write.

He gives us the privilege of participating in miracles and healings on this earth.  He gives believers dreams - revelations of himself in accordance with Scripture - visions that speak to us in contemporary ways... so much is available to a believer in Christ who is living filled with the Spirit.

I have so much to learn and so far to go.

He gives us the privilege of participating in sharing his story, apostolically reproducing Christ in multiple cultures of people, teaching his Way, helping others, giving, administrating with spiritual authority, governing diligently, showing mercy, interceding for others, and so much more.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is God's out pouring of His working power into our lives to bless us with the privilege of Experiencing Him and humbly sharing what He gives us with others.

It's not a man made doctrine - it's all throughout scripture.  It's a much bigger subject than I can adequately address in this format; however, I want to share with you that there's so much more to God than we can begin to grasp. It just has to send us to our knees and onto our faces.

We have the ability to receive fresh anointings every morning - fresh outpourings of his love and power - fresh encounters with his grace and ministry - new mercies every morning - tender moments with the Lord every day... more and more and more and more of Him.

He's uncontainable yet chooses to deposit grace portions of himself into us for his purposes and our sheer thrill and wonder.

But we're still not as strong as we think we are, are we?

• We get it - and in the next moment we're just a breath away from not getting it.
• We walk on water, and then stumble on the waves.
• We praise the Lord in heavenly languages and then struggle to keep quiet in an argument.

I guess if you want to get technical for a minute I can explain it a little this way:

1. I've received Christ as completely as I know how to into my life by faith and have received eternal salvation through accepting Christ and asking him to save me - in full agreement with God that Jesus is God in flesh and the resurrected Lord of all creation.
2. I have been united with Christ by faith and obedience through water baptism with the understanding that the act of baptism was more than just obedience - it was a spiritual celebration of my union with Christ.  There was a spiritual transaction that took place in the heavenlies in my baptism where I believe Christ did a new and powerful cutting in my heart and marked me and my life forever with his divine power.  I also identified myself publically with the entire body of believers world wide in this baptism.
3. I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit a little over 2 years ago at the Amber Rose Conference when Jack Taylor and Randy Clark were praying over me and I asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  It was at that time I also began to experience more and more freedom to learn to pray in the Spirit and exercise the many gifts the Lord has available for my life and for the lives of many believers

I believe that when we believe, then at that moment of faith we come into agreement with God that Jesus is Lord - we receive the deposited gift of the Holy Spirit - guaranteeing our eternity with Christ.  We're saved by grace through faith - without a single work - but completely by faith.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit follows a persons conversion to Christ.  It is when God releases the fulness and gifts of the Spirit to a believer and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture is not very clear about when or exactly how this happens.  There's not a formula that you can pour this into.  He pours out his Spirit on people exactly the way he wants to and when and how he wants to. 

Sometimes before water baptism - and sometimes after water baptism

Sometimes with the laying on of hands - and sometimes without it.

But always after conversion to Christ.

I believe there are many people who have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit but don't call it "baptism of the Holy Spirit." 

It's not our work - it's His work in us.  I preached on this several times at Shannon Oaks - but I was always timid about it because it would become another issue of "differences" and possibly controversy - and of course, it eventually did become an issue of differences.  Partially because of my own immaturity and/or ignorance in how to handle what I understood and believed to be true about the Holy Spirit.

What I Was Taught Growing Up:

I was taught that there was one baptism and that baptism was water baptism.  I was taught that people who believed and were baptized were given the "gift of the holy spirit".  This meant that everyone who believed and was baptized DID recieve the gift of the holy spirit - and that this was all there was to it.

The gift of the Holy Spirit - was like an un knowable power that was given to a person to help them along in their studies, walk, ministry, needs of counsel, guidance, comfort, etc.

I just sorta "understood" that I "had it".

When I Started Seeking More:

When I was a sophomore at LSU - I started studying like crazy seeking more from the Lord.  I couldn't understand how I had received the power of the Holy Spirit - but was still struggling with junk that I thought I should be "over".

So - I was water baptized again - because I thought my first baptism wasn't valid, since I didn't have "evidence" of the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.

I thought, "If the Holy Spirit is in me, then I shouldn't still be having such a hard time with holiness and discipline!"

So - to get the power of the Holy Spirit in my life - I was taught that I needed to be water baptized again - since that's when a person receives "the gift".

Well.... that didn't work - things actually got worse in my life.

Yes - I was talented enough to perform spirituality - teach Bible - evangelize the lost - and lead people based on what I understood - but honestly - there was still NO power in my life.  There was no understanding of how to connect with the Father.  There was no peace with the Lord and real understanding of the the spiritual side of faith.

I had some pretty good works down - but I lacked desperately on the spiritual side.  Not much faith....

How Things I Got to Where I Am Now:

When I came to the Shannon Oaks Church - I had enough freedom in the ministry to actually give God a chance to lead me OUT of the huge box of the religion that I was stuck in.

I had enough freedom to peek my head over the top and see that the Lord was way bigger than the picture that I had of him.

Many things led me to study beyond my current understanding of things.  One of those things was the fact that once we "went instrumental and changed the sign" from "Shannon Oaks Church of Christ" to "Shannon Oaks Church" - we had a flood of people coming in from over 15 different denominations.

Many of them were coming from "Spirit Filled" backgrounds.

In the process of 4-6 years of digging, searching, criticizing, explaining away, tolerating, and eventually understanding enough to take few steps forward - I came to understand many aspects of faith and spirituality differently than I was taught in the first 25 years of my life.

This caused alot of tension and friction between me and some of the people the Lord had me leading in ministry.  I heard many many undercurrents of voices saying things like:

• "Next thing you know, he's gonna be picking up snakes"
• "Jeff claims that the Lord talks to him"
• "Jeff believes he has the power to heal people"
• "When is somebody gonna stop him - he's ....."

I stressed about this a lot - because I never felt that I could be completely honest about my own walk, experiences, and beliefs about the Holy Spirit of God - and because of my insecurities - I didn't handle my critics very well. 

But the truth was - I couldn't go back to where I was before - and I didn't really know how to lead people forward AND stay true to what I actually believed about the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and what I was experiencing in my own personal walk.

So Where Am I Today:

I'm no longer growing weary trying to "live" the spirit-filled life.  I'm no longer frustrated when I looked at my "performance" and it doesn't quite match up with what I believe to be true about my relationship with Christ.

I receive the baptsim of the spirit more fully every day!

I know I'm a new creation - I'm just still learning to communicate with God and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I know I'm a new creation - I'm just still learning to live by the Spirit instead of living according to the old nature and deal with the habits that were formed in me before I was born again.

I know I'm a new creation - but at times I'm not as strong as I think I am.

I want more - I want to be stronger - i want to be 'better" - I want to be more "worthy" - I want way more...

And in those moments of wanting way more - I simply have to be arrested by the grace of God - and just receive more of the baptism of the Spirit - more filling of his love and power - more of a taste of his grace and love.

When I trip over the waves - I know I'm walking on the water - He just wants to remind me that I'm not as strong as I think I am and I'm always in need of more of him.

Keep in step with the Spirit.

Palm Sunday: Big League Things in little league Ways

My daughter, Shelby, is playing T-Ball for the first time.  She has a pink and black glove, 2 Bright Yellow Softballs, a pink and black helmet, and a pink Louisville Slugger.  She's really big time.

We practice in the street with the other neighbors and our 3 year old son, Hayden, screams in the background for someone to play baseball with him.

So yesterday, while Shelby is jacking the softball off a tee in the street, Hayden and I were hitting plastic balls as far as we could over the house with a big plastic bat... then running to the back yard to find the recently "jacked" baseball!

Cool huh?

Doing Big League things in little league ways.... it's very kingdom like, isn't it.

I have to think that as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he had to be thinking, "Wow, Heaven really knows how to do Big League Things in Small League Ways."

For humanity - we love the BIG LEAUGES don't we.  We love fabulous results that come through very entertaining and fabulous means.  We adore grandiose entries - smashing performances - over crowded enterages, big bands, flashing signs, screaming banners, big glory, and big time results ... and are very bored at times with the very little - even unnoticeable - little league adventures.

I'm growing so fond of little leagues... even more than the BIG LEAUGES.

PALM SUNDAY was the beginning of a week filled with:

• small meals with friends
• power packed teachings in overcrowded small rooms
• secret anointing ceremonies in high official's homes
• very small and private passover teachings in an upper room
• embarassing acts of feet washing with eternally significant meanings
• midnight prayer rituals that would be recorded to demonstrate God's heart for humanity
• private court politics involving cheap betrayals with eternal consequenses
• kangaroo court trials that would teach the world the power of humility
• a BIG LEAGUE execution that would lead to a BIGGER LEAGUE resurrection
• a little league beginning of a BIG LEAGUE 2000 year long move of the Holy Spirit

I think that the thing that impresses me most about PALM SUNDAY is how humans can experience such drastic extremes within a very very small 5 day time frame.

5 days from PALM SUNDAY is Good Friday -... Good, but an ever so dark, brutal, horrific, ugly, grossly painful, torturous, and passion filled Friday.

5 days!  5 days!  "Hossanah in the highest!" was 5 days before "Crucify Him"! 

Palm Branches came 5 days before hands and feet were nailed into trees.

Worship and Exaltation came 5 days before death and humiliation.

We Praise God God when things are appearing to go our way, don't we...?

But Kill God when things are appearing to not go our way!

Interesting isn't it?  Our way vs. God's way.

Our way - White Stallion!  God's way - Donkey.

Our way - Destroy the Roman Government!  God's Way destroy the power of sin!

Our way - Big League Beginnings!  God's Way - Little League entry - Little Leage week - Big League Resurrection.

Perhaps - Palm Sunday isn't so much about how badly humans can mess things up in 5 days - but more about what God can do in 3 days.

A BIG LEAGUE GOD DOES BIG LEAGUE THINGS THROUGH little league events.

Yes - Oh My Lord - I wish I were preaching somewhere this Easter - this is so humbling. 

But not nearly as humbling as the Lord's last week on earth.

Instead of talking about it all - I only hope to embrace it more fully and own it more deeply myself. 

I'm trying to hit the ball off of the tee again. 

I'm trying to learn to swing the plastic bat in a way that makes my son laugh and enjoy the game.

I'm trying to breathe while I laugh and search for the plastic ball in the back yard.

I'm trying to do BIG LEAGUE things in little league ways - and I just have to believe that the Lord is preaching through me still and will one day give me more and more joy in little league stuff in his BIG LEAGUE story.

You Become What You Imagine, Love, and Hate

I've found that the most powerful influence in human life is not external - it's in the head and heart of man.

"For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  Proverbs 23:7

Everything that has ever been built, made, designed, published, developed, or organized began in someone's imagination.  We definately reproduce what we focus our thoughts upon.

I've discovered that we spend so much of our time reacting to what we don't want to be instead of responding to the call of God on our lives.  We really do waste alot of energy and time trying NOT to be something.

The problem is this:  In order to "not" be something - or in order to "avoid" becoming something, we have to keep it in front of us in order to avoid it.  Does that make sense?  This keeps us focused on what we don't want to be instead of what we're called to be.

In turn - you create what you have in your heart:  Fear of becoming _________?

If I repeatedly envision what I don't want to be or what I don't want to create or what I don't want to become of my situation, then just the process of envisioning it causes me to reproduce it. 

3 Disguised Principles of Forgiveness:

1.  REPRODUCTION PRINCIPLE:  You will typically become like that which you hate.

This is why children typically reproduce the aspects of their parents or offenders that they most despise.  You have to gain power over all of your offenses in life in order to gain a vision for life that is more powerful than your greatest offenses.

Forgiving people is releasing them EVERY time the memory of the offense comes up - UNTIL your hatred is replaced with a genuine heart felt love and desire to see them blessed and forgiven by God.

2.  LOVE TRUMPS HATE PRINCIPLE:  You will only become like that which you love IF your love is stronger than your hatred, pain, and disappointment.

Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourself in the Lord he will give us the desire of our heart.

Question:  What is the object of our "delight" according to this?  .... The Lord, right?

So, if we delight ourself in the Lord, what will the Lord give us?

... drum roll please ....  HIMSELF!!!!!

ding, ding, ding!  You win a million dollars!

Question: is your delight in the Lord greater than your hatred, pain, bitterness, frustration, fear, stress, anxiety, or desire for anything else.

You'll only be free to the extent that your desire for the Lord is greater than the other desires and emotions of your soul and the other feelings of your flesh.

3.  PRISONER OF WAR PRINCIPLE:  Many people stay imprisoned inside of situations that they believe are God's will - when in reality - they're captured and held captive as warriors in a battle are captured and held prisoner.

They're fighting hard.   They're trying their best.   They're doing all they know to "do".  But they're not seeing any progress in life, ministry, and relationships.

This is typically a sign that there are serious problems with the beliefs in their heart about their situation.

Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:32)

So - what lies are you believing about your self?  What "ought to's" are you repeating to yourself?  What efforts are you putting forth that aren't of God but are things you believe are the "right thing to do"?

This is tricky but worth getting in your heart:  Captives are prisoners of war!  Captives are people who are caught in a fight and held inside the war by tormentors.

Most often, these tormentors are in the head.  They hold you in situations MUCH longer than the Lord wants you there.

The Lord exposes truth, and leads you to move on in life and relationships.

Is there anything that you're stuck fighting in and feeling trapped?

If so - could there be anything inside of you that's keeping you there when you're free to move on.

----------------------------------

Love the Lord!  Release your offenders!  Be free from anything that controls you in life other than the love of the Lord.

Blessings!

How To Live A Winterless Life

For the past 14 years of my life I can honestly say that I've felt like I've gone through a rollercoaster of seasons - ALL 4 of them.

Spring - I've had many seasons of new birth, renewal, change, new life, fresh anointings for the NEXT

Summer - Seasons of joy and waiting - anticipation of harvest - relaxing - preparing for abundance

Fall - Seasons of harvest - Celebration - Thanksgiving

Winter - Seasons of dryness - death - hardship - suffering - pain

Today in Bill Johnsons' message - He shared his experience of living a "Winterless" life for the past 12 years.  This doesn't mean that there haven't been any hardships - it just means that the external circumstances haven't created an impact on the effectiveness of His ministry and life.

A Winterless Life and Ministry

is one that isn't in response to the seasons that invite you into them.

A Winterless life isn't void of hardship or difficulty - it's just void of entering into a "Winter Season Spiritually".

The outside circumstances are not a reflection of heaven - there are no seasons in heaven.

Basically - it's always the season for ripe harvest in heaven - and God gives an anointing to people that is designed to allow them to participate in his favor regardless of the "season" that emerges.

A Winterless Life is a life of Reformation Posture and not a Process Posture

He says that the anointing a person carries must always be equal to the torment and struggle around you in order for you to remain effective and see harvest in every season around you.

Just because there are seasons around you does not mean that you have to enter into the season and the process associated with it.  "Processes of dryness and hardship" are not the will of God EVENTHOUGH  he obviously allows us to remain in them as long as it takes us to recieve his power to get out of them.

Life always invites us into the winter season - and God allows it to - and allows us to enter it if we want.  He also gives us fresh power to stay seasonless in wintertime. 

His will is that we operate according to heaven and allow us to change us and equip us.

He's not interested in us entering into seasons.  Seasons that we enter into are typically a result of our choice to our circumstances.

The length of your time in a season is typically and directly in proportion to your response to it.  What you do in the "secret place" of seeking the Lord and his favor will determine the duration of your exposure or duration in/to a season.

God Hides Things in Life "For You" not "From You"

I've heard Bill teach on this before - but it means so much more now.

When we take our focus off of the "season" around us and the 'circumstances' around us - we're better able to find the Lord and the next part of his assignment for our life

Our Destiny - Is Heaven

Our Assignment - Is ALWAYS to Bring Heaven to Earth Regardless of the Season

So - how would your life look differently if you refrained from entering into seasons of dryness, winter, depression, anger, confusion, pain, suffering, bitterness, difficulty, hardship....?

And instead of intering into the season of these things - Actually invade the season with the kingdom of God and the assignment of God for the moment.

It really requires an ongoing abiding walk with the Lord in the secret place.

May we all come to realize the blessing of God regardless of the seasons around us - and may we always refrain from entering into the seasons of the world and stay in the season of Life - the kingdom of God.

Let It Snow

I'm sitting in a cafe in Grand Prairie, Tx - and it's about an hour before the worship starts at the conference.  Bill Johnson is speaking again tonight. 

If I'm really really honest - the conference has been great BUT - quite overwhelming to me.  I've actually had to struggle to sit through most of it without exploding in tears.

I'm not used to recieving so much food without having a venue to really take action with the information; so I just think and think and think and think and think.  I don't even have fellow journeymen to process it all with and dream with like I used to.

Well - I do have them - they're just not here with me.

At least that is how it has felt up to this point.  It's like having a stomach that is so full that another morsel would just send you over the edge.  I've felt full - even before the conference started last night.

I still read about 2-3 books a week, listen to dozens of messages a week in between fundraisers, spend hours in prayer and seeking the Lord and I'm really struggling to stay content in a healing mode.

Then came the snow......

since 3:30, we have gotten about 3 inches of snow in Dallas.  It's gorgeous!

Snow is powerful stuff isn't it?

Here's the Gospel according to snow - at least the way I'm seeing it tonight from this cafe window:

• Its purity is so prophetic and cleansing.  It makes such an ugly scene just look so hollywood like, I mean heavenly. 
• It REALLY SLOOOOOOOOWWWWWS THINGS DOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWNNNNN!  Seriously, even since the last email post - the Lord has spoken to me more in the snow than he has in the conference.  It took me an hour to go one mile in traffic.  He's really not in a hurry to get me to where he's leading me.  Actually, the slower the better - for me at least.
• It awakens CAUTION... It doesn't only slow things down, but it places an automatic "caution" signal in the hearts of everyone.  Eyes are glued to the road and cars ahead - even when people walk briskfully, they're tip toeing.  Cautious of wrecking, falling, slipping, ... fully aware of surroundings.

So, Lord tonight in the snow - I recieve your word and your invitation to rest well - enjoy the moment - slow down and celebrate other people's ministry.

I'm working on changing my thinking so that you can change my heart.

Amber Rose Conference Update

I spent the day in Southlake, Tx yesterday.  I had lunch with a new friend in Grapevine and coffee with a new friend in Southlake afterwards.

I can't begin to describe what the Lord has done in the past two months.  He's drastically opening my eyes to see beyond what I've seen before.  He's introducing me to people of influence and affluence and is revealing to me day by day that He already knows what he wants to do with me.

He's testing me to remain in Him and be patient and trust Him.

I will trust him.

Last night, I drove over to have dinner with my nephew, Daniel - in Rockwall and then headed over to Grand Prairie for the Amber Rose Conference.  It has been great so far.

Here are 3 of the most meaningful thoughts to me so far:

• You Can Dramatically and Painfully Increase Your Capacity to Grow by allowing the Lord to Change Your Environment:

I know it's common sense, but it's so true; you WILL only and CAN only grow in proportion to the people you surround yourself with.  So, are the people around you keeping you locked-in to the status quo or stretching your capacity to recieve the Kingdom of God.

Of the people that I've met over the past few months - some of them are University Presidents, multi-million dollar business developers, highly influential ministry leaders, church planters, writers, one of the best information geniuses in the world, great teachers, and many many common lovers of the Lord.

Everyday has been a day of just soaking in the blessings of the Lord.

Last night, Bill Johnson talked about the power of being replaced or relocated in ministry. 

He said that many pastors can only grow in porportion to the environment their surrounded by.  He compared it to many tropical fish who grow to different sizes depending on the environment they live in.

This doesn't mean that any location is any better than the other, it only means that some locations are better environments for some people than others.  God has the right people for the right places and the right times.  He knows what he's doing with all of us, doesn't he?

He's awesome

• Jesus didn't commission Saul to go to the Gentiles only, I had to re-read this one: 

Acts 9:15-16 "...Go!  This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel."

I found it very empowering to see Saul/Paul's commission to ... kings and Israel as well as Gentiles.  I think I've always known the evidence of this without understanding the commission itself.

The Lord saw Saul's ministry before he revealed it to Saul.

The Lord revealed Saul's ministry to someone else before he revealed it to him.

Saul literally was able to see himself in the presence of Gentiles and Kings long before it ever happened and as he went through the years of testing, he developed the character that would be necessary to sustain him in the ministry and calling the Lord had for him even before he knew anything about it.

I'm wondering what the Lord is doing in me now and if what I'm seeing with my heart's eyes are actually him or something else.

I'm enjoying the unfolding of his plan and story for me and my family.  It's actually exhillerating!

• Jesus said in Luke 16:16 that since John the Baptist, "the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and EVERYONE is forcing his way into it."

This concept and truth sorta paralyzes me and creates in me a deep hunger for Christ to reveal more of the Kingdom to me.  I just know there's so much more than I've allowed him to show me.

I thought, well, if "EVERYONE" is "forcing his way into it..." - then perhaps it's a different message than I've been preaching so far. 

Perhaps when the good news of the kingdom is preached, there's more power than if the "church" is preached - or if "anything else" is preached.

I'm sorry, but I take the Literally here - perhaps on this day "everyone" meant "everyone".  Perhaps on this day that he said these words, "everyone" he came in contact was responding in faith to the good news of the Kingdom.

Lord, I want to preach whatever message draws everyone to YOU!

Perhaps I'll spend my entire life recieving that message and forcing my way into it myself.

Show yourself off, Lord.

Things WILL Get Worse Before They Get Better

I've found that if you're serious about staying through God's process for your life and HIS timing for HIS will for your life, then you can expect many things that are going to be against YOUR own personal grain.  It's actually unnerving at times.

You know you're in the will of God when you're going against your natural tendencies and you actually have the peace of God.

Here are a three things that have been true for me:

1.  If there are things the Lord wants to change in or about you, then:  THINGS WILL GET WORSE AS OR BEFORE THEY GET BETTER. 

When I was in High School - I could squat about 600 lbs and bench press about 350ish.  One of my coaches continually told me, "Jeff, you're using too much of your back in your squats.  You're getting the weight up, but in the long run, you're going to hurt yourself.  You have to have a better arch in your back and you can't bend your back so much."

The problem with this was - that if I was going to start getting technical and working on form, then I would have to deal with my ego.  I would have to squat less weight with better form for a period of time until I strengthened the appropriate squat muscles.

It was going to take me quite a while to squat 600 lbs with proper form.

So:  Do you want to get great results with bad and long term damaging technique - or do you want to sacrifice results for a season in order to get great results with healthy technique?

It feels as though things are getting worse in your life when you begin working out the kinks of your heart and focus less on your performance.  But in the end, you will reap the harvest and avoid much less injury to yourself and others.

You will go through slumps where you wonder if you're even able to even play anymore.  You will have success again - and the greatest success you can have is developing the character to tend the insides to help them catch up with your outside!

But if you'll allow your habits to be changed - then eventually, your new habits will reap the positive consequences of your most healthy performance in life.

2.  You will HAVE to become UNREACTIONARY to either good or bad news:  You will be conditioned by both praising and cursing and will have to develop a sense of presence that isn't dependant upon either, but solely on God.  THINGS WILL CONSTANTLY BE BOTH BAD AND GOOD - AND BOTH WILL LOOSE THEIR POWER OVER YOU.

There has to be a sense of the Lord's Presence in your life - and you have to deepen your reliance on the peace of his voice in order to avoid ANY reaction to competing voices whether they be good or bad.

This awareness of your self in God's presence literally diminishes ALOT of wavering between good or bad reports.

You will gradually loose the mentality of "If I don't, then It won't happen".  You realize that you actually don't have to "make it happen" in order for "it" to happen.

When you're in submission to the Lord, he will exalt the humble IN DUE TIME!  I Peter 5

3.  You will have to become UNOFFENDABLE in order to release God's parking break from your life.  He will only move you forward according to your submission to His power to move you through your personal offenses.  How will you allow him to transition you THROUGH your offenses and offenders.

The best way for me to say this is this:  Get over and through your most hurtful offenses as quickly as possible and refuse to rise and fall with the reports you hear about the situations you go through in life

You cannot progress in life beyond Christ's power in you to overcome offenses.  Believe it or not - your greatest offenses will control your reactions and actions in life unless you release your offenders in life, acknowledge your own responsibility, and recieve Christ's power to move through your offenses.

The Holy Spirit in Worship - Simple and Effective Ministry

I think this is at least one picture of letting the Spirit of the Lord minister in worship.

This leader (Israel Haughton and New Breed) could have left the room and sat down outside in the parking lot and just let the Lord have his way.

What do you see in this that makes you wish you where there?

This is another one of my favorite worship songs right now. I heard it for the first time a few months back @at Gateway Church.

Enjoy

Waiting

    At 6:00 yesterday morning as I was walking out the door and headed to the Metroplex – I saw an article on our cabinet by Richard Foster, “WAITING”. (Click Here for the archive of Foster's Articles...awesome stuff).

     I’m not sure where it came from and after asking Sarah about it later – she didn’t know what I was talking about. So, I assume that someone gave it to me way back in November and it ended up on my bar. It’s a pastoral letter from Richard Foster to … well … me, I guess.      

Here's the Context:      4/29/2007   Worship War II  mp3

     Back in September – I wrote a blog post commenting on a sermon I preached back in April 2007.  The sermon was on Spiritual Leadership and most of it was based on the story of Moses and how the people of Israel had to spend 40 years in the wilderness because of their fear and lack of faith and disobedience....

     I remember strongly emphasizing why it takes humans 40 years to make 14 day journeys and what "we" needed to change in order to avoid long delay periods in Spritual progress and growth. I thought it was one of the best sermons I’d ever preached.

      I remember boldly stating things about vision – going in circles in leadership – overcoming fear of rejection – and moving forward regardless of the cost!

     At that time – I honestly believed it to be one of the more courageous dead on sermons I’d ever preached.I also remember commenting on how I thought the sermon was a great explanation for the series of events that came after it.

     I actually said things like,

• “No more circling”
• “It shouldn’t take 40 years to make a 14 day journey”
• “I will not fear rejection another day in leadership”
• “I will not fear the loss of support and resources another day.”
• “I will not pay attention to the 150 or so people who are pulling back the reigns and threatening to pull contributions and go elsewhere.”
• “If you’re not on board with the direction the Lord is leading the church, go somewhere else…”

Eeeeeegggggh! I wasn’t just tired and hurting – but I believed that I was courageously calling the people to move forward – stop complaining – and embrace the vision of God’s love for the world.

AND I was also taking out personal frustration and disappointments with individuals and humanity in general/myself in a public format.

Needless to say – there were a few standing ovations and applauses in the 2nd and 3rd services and there were several attaboys afterwards from many who were ready to take the mountain ahead regardless of the cost – and there were several people with hurt feelings.

RELEVANCE

The article by Richard Foster nailed me in the gut yesterday morning. 

Here’s the part that made me just gulp:

Foster says,

“Waiting is the hidden preparation through which God puts his ministers. We neglect it to our peril. I remember as a young, brash pastor waxing eloquent about Moses in the wilderness and telling the people that we need to learn all these lessons so that it won’t take us forty years like it did Moses. (ouch)

Just then, a wise and respected member of our fellowship spoke up calmly; “I doubt it!” he said. Those three words took all the pompous air out of my sermon that day and taught us a valuable lesson. Especially me. Waiting is not something to be avoided at all costs.

In waiting we learn things that we learn in no other way. Our ways are of noise, hurry, and crowds. Our ways are the ways of climb and push and shove. Our ways are of instant-knowledge and instant solutions and instant gratification.

These are not God’s ways!

God’s ways are like rain and the snow that come down and disappear into the earth. No rush. No Manipulation. Then when the time is right up comes the life, “giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.” That’s God’s way!

We begin thinking in terms of years and decades instead of in terms of hours and minutes.

APPLICATION

I’ve repented of this and fully acknowledge as much as I can acknowledge about the sheer abusive way I led. I thought I was right, though.  I thought I was being courageous and bold. I thought I was leading bravely. I thought I was overcoming fear.

But maybe, just maybe, I was more concerned with my way and my ideas for the church than I was in God’s way. I thought that God wanted to do a whole lot in a short amount of time and I thought that we were in his way.

In reality – perhaps – I was the one in the way. Hmmmm?

I made a lot of mistakes in that mode. I was as shrewd as a dove and as gentle as a snake instead of the opposite. I’m learning.

So, What is Waiting and How do We Do It:

I’ve heard many messages on “Waiting” on the Lord – but the best teaching I’ve heard on this subject was by Bill Johnson.

He relates “Waiting on the Lord” to Deer Hunting.

If you want to hunt deer – then you put a stand in a place where you expect and know deer show up. And you wait on them to pass by. You don’t set your stand up just anywhere. You go where they are known to be.

Perhaps waiting on the Lord has to do with putting your life in the posture that is able to hear Him – recognize Him – respond to Him – and obey Him – so that when it’s time to move – YOU’RE READY FOR THE LORD’S PASSING AND MOVE.

In regards to how long this takes – it doesn’t matter. He’s God.

We don’t need to manipulate people to believe that God is in a hurry to save a city or a nation.

He’s not in a hurry and never has been.

The only thing that is urgent is our hearts and our obedience. History tells us – that when God wants to do amazing things on earth – he takes his time – and does it at the right time in hearts that are willing to adjust to HIS TIMING.

There’s no way to really get this when you’re in a hurry to build a kingdom, church, city, or move of God. The only way to get this – perhaps – is in the wilderness – with no agenda but to wait on the Lord – expecting Him to pass by – and being ready when he does.

Blessings as you learn to ….. WAIT!