A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

New Blog

2006-11-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am officially moving my blog to wordpress. With a new laptop at my disposal i thought it was time for something fresh that I can play around with. It will still be called A Voice In The Wilderness

I will leave this blog up and running for a short time and then I will continue only using the new site.

Thanksgiving 10

2006-11-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

1. I am truly thankful for my Lord and Savior, brother and father Jesus Christ

2. I am truly blessed and thankful to have family and friends whom I love, and know that love me. I am thankful for great relationships.

3. I am thankful that all of my needs are truly met, and I actually have more than what I really need to survive.

4. I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to have an impact in this life for Jesus. Even if it has been small and inconsistent, it is unmerrited and that's awesome.

5. I am thankful to be coaching basketball this year and getting to have influence in the lives of young men. It's a part of my destiny.

6.I am thankful that I can be thankful. It's so easy for us humans to think about all of the problems. But I'm thankful I can be thankful. It's good for the heart

7. I am thankful for coffee!

8. I am thankful for crativity (when used in a positive way) . It is creativity that has inspired and given me the joy's of music, art and literature.

9. I am thankful that God is who He is. He could have been like anything. But to have this majestic being as my father, full of mercy, grace and justice, I am thankful.

10. I am thankful for the new labtop I'm using to write this. Without which you would not be reading this post

Signing Back Up

2006-11-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

I am simply making it official by putting this in a public writing forum. I'm signing back up. Signing back up for wholeheartedness. My heart has grown cold in several areas and it's time to place it next to the fire again and give the Lord time to do His thing. I really haven't been in a steady season of walking with the Lord for about a year. I am encouraged in the fact that He has still been persuing me, speaking to me and correcting me. There's affection in His correction! But I have tasted and seen that He is good, and I'm ruined. There is no other place for me to be but in the center of His heart. So today I'm signing back up for wholeheartedness. May my heart burn, and my faith result in obedience to the voice of God

A long time coming

2006-11-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

I just recieved via UPS, my first owned computer. It's a Dell Laptop and I like it! It's not the very best in the computer world, but it's by far enough for me, at least for now. My long absence from the blogging world has simply been due to lack of internet access. The desktop computer that I had been using at the house of prayer is out of commission. So needless to say, this is a blessing. I will hopefully be doing a lot of things on this site.

What A View

2006-10-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

While with my mother yesterday in Chicago, we sat along lake Michigan and looked at what is called "the Magnificent Mile." It's a mile stretch of the skyline in Chicago, featuring some of the worlds largest and most unique skyscrapers and buildings. Surrounded by the color of fall trees, with gentle waves sweeping against the rocks, it doesn't get much better.

We also went to the top of the sears tower at night and saw life's view from the third tallest building in the world. It was great. Besides that we did a lot of walking, took a boat ride on lake Michigan and had lots of good food.

Martyrdom

2006-10-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Most people would think it was odd, I actually find it interesting myself, but I actually think about dying for Jesus quite often. Not in a morbid way at all, but in a sober way. I ask myself questions like; If someone put a gun to your head and told you to renounce Christ, what would you do? Is my heart rooted and grounded enough in His to stand? Do I really love Him like that? ect. I think most people and myself say, well that's a possibility, but do you really have to think about it, or actually prepare to die? And sometimes it seems odd, but then I think about Jesus who was born to die. He thought about it and talked about it well before it happened. And He was prepared for it. I guess were all born to die, the question is only what for. The reality is a lot of my generation has thought these thoughts because many of us will suffer persecution and martyrdom.

I went through an experience this week that brought me closer to death than I have ever been before. Through my suffering, the revelation of Jesus suffering, and death for me, have been so sweet it's all worth it! It's also caused me to really look deep within my heart and ask do I really have the stuff to live out true christianity? I don't think we have a clue in the west what true christianity is at all. And the question of who can stand bears weight beyond what we can now know.

From my own notebook

2006-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to share here random different writings and observations found in my notebook from times of prayer. Enjoy!

The Cross
Sitting at the foot of the cross beholding the beauty of mercy and justice, the heart is won for love. Here men are marked forever, changed from sinners to saints, from cowards to bond-slaves

URGENCY
Am I walking in urgency? Am I really sober and awake? Am I urgent and desiring the holiness and righteousness of Christ? Am I urgent to be prepared for His appearing? Am I urgent to hasten it's day? Am I urgent in my prayer life for revival and salvation?

End Times
I love how when I read about Jesus Mellineal Kingdom, how my heart burns with longing and zeal to see that day. I am bolstered with hope and this is why it is important to study these realities. In thinking about the End Times, my heart trembles with a sense of mourning for my own lack of preperation, sorrow for humanity and urgency in my spirit to be prepared. The lie in my own heart and in the hearts of western culture is that we just need to calm down, not be so hyped up. But where in the bible concerning the end-times does it say to just relax about it?

Joel 2

2006-10-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

Today starts the bridegroom fast here at IHOP KC. I am so thankful for my time here in KC. It has been wonderful to sit under some awesome teaching and soak in the house of prayer. Today my excellencies of Christ class also starts our guided study project which will be a lot of fun. (hopefully I can write more about that later) I'm participating in the Bridegroom fast and then extending my fast a little bit. I'm going to be praying Joel 2 quite a bit because I need to rend my heart and re-align with Jesus and the truth of His word, and so does the nation. We need urgency, to be awake, alert, sober in this hour.

Trust in you like the morning

2006-09-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

I heard a singer sing that phrase in the house of prayer in Kansas City last night and it just stuck with me. As I have pondered it, I have found that I probably have more faith that the morning will come tomorrow than I do in God. This is really sad seeing that God was the one that created the reality of morning in the first place. I have no doubts that when I wake up tomorrow, the sun will have risen and a new day begun. Oh that I could trust in Him the same way. I am at rest about morning coming tomorrow, I am confident. I want to be filled with this confidence towards the Lord. To be at rest in the reality that He will come just like the morning. In the midst of everything I'm going through. Family, friends, my own fragmentedness, I want to trust in Him like the morning.

fun with mom

2006-09-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

I spent the day today with my mom. It was fun. We had some lunch and watched the movie invincible which was a really good movie. I cried a lot and could have cried more. I just really related to the lead charichter Vince Popele. The movie was the classic rags to riches Disney movie. But your heart just can't help but go out to someone who reaches rock bottom and finds the streangth to keep going and reach for greatness (yes, greatness is defined differently by many, but you know what I mean.) Mostly this inspires me and us, because it's us. Just like the charichters in the bible. It's either where we have been, or want to go.

After that my mom read me a short childrens book. I felt a little silly at first, but it was actually fun. She did a great job reading it! Then we headed to Wal-Mart (favorite shopping place) to buy supplies so we could grill some food. This was especially fun because I have only cooked on an outdoor grill twice before. I actually had to call my dad, and ask the guy in the store how to do it just so I was sure. We don't have a propane grill, but the good ol charcole kind. It was a blast.

Open and Honest

2006-09-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, where do I start? I don't want to share too many details over the net, but I do want to be vulnerable which is something I'm finding I'm not really good at. My time in KC has been fun but very painful. I find that I'm having to go back to the basics of discovering God as He is, and that He loves me. Simple yet profound. And apparently I havn't fully got the message yet, because the lack of this reality in my heart is showing up in a myriad of ways.

One thing that has been good is I think I'm really on a journey into the rest of God. The place where I am free from shame and confident in love and in who I am in Christ and my heart is at rest in intimacy with Him and His will for me. That's a big statement, but through all the pain of my heart I believe it's where I'm headed. I just want to have a real relationship with Jesus and then real relationship with people. Again, simple yet profound!

2006-09-12T23:30:00.000-07:00

Found this article and it is simply amazing that we are still discovering creation. I mean the reality that there are people groups nobody knows about, or animals we havn't seen yet is awesome!!!

A New Bird Species Is Confirmed in India

NEW DELHI, Sept. 12 — A new bird species has been found in India, the first such discovery here in more than 50 years, the amateur ornithologist who first spotted the bird said Tuesday.

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Ramana Athreya/Reuters
The multicolored bird species, Liocichla bugunorum, was first sighted in May.
The multicolored bird, Liocichla bugunorum, was first sighted in May in the remote Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, a northeastern state near the border with China, by Ramana Athreya, an astronomer as well as amateur ornithologist.

Mr. Athreya said he named it after the Bugun tribe, which lives in the area. The bird has a black cap, a bright yellow patch around the eyes and yellow, crimson, black and white patches on the wings.

Mr. Athreya caught two of the species, but released them after making detailed notes and taking photographs — and keeping feathers that had worked loose in his net.

“We thought the bird was just too rare for one to be killed,” he said. “With today’s modern technology, we could gather all the information we needed to confirm it as a new species. We took feathers and photographs and recorded the bird’s songs.”

Though the bird was discovered in May, the news was kept under wraps until the bird was confirmed as a new species.

Mr. Athreya said he first spotted the bird in 1995, “but it was only this year I had a sufficiently good look that we could move into the matter.”

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Fire In Your Pants

2006-09-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

Ok here is a story for the books. So I jokingly set a bottle rocket in my friends Galens pants here in Kansas City and quoted a dear friend about the Lord putting a "fire under our butt." Of course I was just kidding, but his roomate Josh took it to the next level and got a lighter. At first I thought he was just kidding, then I realized he was really contemplating this and so I shook my head no to him. Next thing I know he's lighting the bottle rocket while it's in Galens back pocket and the rest is history. Nobody got injured, but please do not try this at home

What's going on

2006-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

In another chronicle of my journey to Kansas City's Ihop I had a wonderful day yesterday, and a great start to this one.

One highlight from last night was I got to hang out with a couple young men, whom I met at a place called the Car Farm while here in KC last year. They are both involved at IHOP and it was a kiss from God to be able to sit down with them, and share our hearts and exhort each other. They are both such sweet young men going after Jesus.

I have lots more to write, but I can't focus very well at the moment so I will finish later.

Update

2006-09-06T02:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how well this picture will turn out, but none the less, it's Mike Bickle's new book and I have officially dived in. It's called seven longings of the human heart. I'm really excited to read it. So far I am through the introduction and the first chapter The Longing To Be Enjoyed. I might read a little more yet tonight, but It's 4:20 am and I'm tired. I had a good time meditating on the first chapter after I got done reading it. Normally I do think a lot about the books I read, but generally I read through them very fast. I might take some more time and read this one devotionally. It's that type of book. I'll have to force myself to slow down, but it will be worth it. Ummm... What else?

In other news, I have encountered a little more of the wounds and broken places of my heart today, but there was much hope in this encounter that Jesus is going to make something beautiful (He makes all things beautiful just in time." MIsty Edwards)
And that He will use me to help others find healing in His Mercy and love because I had to fight to find freedom and wholeness in His heart. Because of that I get to speak to the deep places in the hearts of men with love and revelation that will set them free. I have to look at it this way. Just like Jesus had to know when He was going to the cross that it was bringing redemption to humanity. Well that's all for now.

Israel

2006-09-05T02:24:00.001-07:00

Read an interesting article this morning about the conflict with Israel and Hezbollah. I especially liked the opening pragraph.

Reggie Kelly,

The situation in Lebanon is surely another installment along the long road of tragedy in the region. It is part of an insoluble impasse that has existed since the quarrel that began in the tents of Abraham. Ezekiel called it the "perpetual hatred" (35:5). It is the historical culmination of a dilemma that is divinely intended to defy any human solution. "Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked?" (Ecc 7:13). "I will overturn, overturn, overturn, until he come whose right it is ..." (Ezek 21:27)

As I read it, it caused me to ask for a greater understanding for Israel and the purposes of God. Everything that is happening in the earth right now is so related to this reality that to lack understanding is not an option

To read the rest of this article go here: http://www.benisrael.org/articles/latest_mid_east_developments.htm

I couldn't figure out how to do a link, so this is the best I could do :)

It's Wonderfull

2006-09-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

It's about 4:20 am and I'm taking a little break before going back into the prayer room. It's been so fun so far. The Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me my life verse and the passage and ministry I feel most deeply called to among other things.

1 Samuel 2:35 " I will raise up for myself a faithful priest and he shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will establish for him a sure house and he will minister before my anointed forever."

This is what God is desiring. A generation of lovesick worshippers who are after His heart. Thier life is dedicated to puruing the knowledge of God and ministering to His heart. They long to know what are the desires, affections and purposes of His heart and because of it.... by nature they are a prophetic company who prays and prophesies and who are messengers with the Word of the Lord. They are worshippers who worship in spirit and truth and who worship out of overflowing gratitude due to the revelation of Jesus and His nature. This is waht I'm called to be a part of and to see restored into the earth!!!!

I am Away

2006-09-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is where I am right now. That's right, I'm in Kansas City in the prayer room as I type this. Currently the worship leader is singing "set your eyes on the prize, set your gaze on me." And it's convicting. She's singing choose this day whom you will serve, and oh it's real. You can't just stay in the middle. Will I have a slumbering heart, or will I give it all. It's very sobering.

I think I will be down here for at least a week, maybe 2. I'm really wanting to re-focus and get re-energized and see what the Lord has for me and this next season of my life. I think this time is more important than I think. Through some circumstances I have lost as of late my vision of Jesus and my Passion for Him. I'm looking to regain that, and run in a way in which circumstances, trials and the like won't slow me down again. I'm desiring to cross a line with Him in which I will not look back again.

So I'm getting to reaquaint with old freinds, hear lot's of good worship and Mike Bickle preaching. I've never stayed this long so it should be fun.

TIME

2006-09-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

TIME, there really isn't that much. Donald Miller writes,

"Life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath:"

I've been going around the same mountain I think for a little while and I can't stand it. I was made to be fully alive on the inside, taking risks, enjoying life, loving God, dreaming dreams and running. I was mostly made to run with Jesus, to run and laugh and never look back!

I guess what I'm trying to say is I really desire to open up and step out. Step out into what? I do not know. I want to open up enough to really go deep in relationship with Jesus and people. I mean to really connect with people in a lifelong way, to really give them my heart no matter the consequences. I want to open up and do new things like write songs and help the poor. And like Donald Miller said I have to find a way to get this out of my head and into reality. I mean how many people fantazize about doing something, but never just take the plunge. I want to jump in. I want my first love back with Jesus and to just never come back this way again.

There really isn't much time to do it. Does that really hit me as hard as it should? Not at all, but really I don't want to be 40 and look back and say I havn't moved forward! I want to, I have to, I must press on towards the prize of the upwards calling in Christ Jesus. The excellence of the knowledge of Jesus!

It's Official

2006-08-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the college football season is officially under way. Heavy men with painted bellies, thousands of screaming college kids, popcorn, soda, and some good old pad crackin. I must admit I do enjoy september when football gets started. I now have many Nebraska Cornhusker fans that will come out of the woodwork. Their goal is simply to try and give me a hard time( is it okay to pay back eye for eye and tooth for tooth when it comes to razzing Husker fans? I think so!) I am also expecting many "good old time," stories to start surfacing in my phone conversations with my dad.

Good Morning

2006-08-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I live at my workplace, I'm not out and about that often in the mornings. Today I got a chance to get out around 7:30am. I grabbed a newspaper, coffee and headed to Hardee's for a bite to eat. I really enjoy the mornings, especially late August early September. It just has a certain feel, a certain smell. I reminisced about freshman football, when our games were on early Saturday morning and it was freezing cold most days. I thought about how this used to be my routine every day and how I enjoyed those times. Today was a good morning.

A Conversation With God

2006-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

ME: "I'm tired of trying to lead. I try to be gentle and people just abuse that and try to take control. Bobodies following where I think your trying to take me. I have to use my resources so people can do well and nobody cares."

God: "Quit crying. That is the life of a leader, and this is greatness. A leader gives thier life, time and resources so others can succeed. Even when they use you and when your not acknowledged. This is love. You will see it clearly in the life to come."

A Good Cup of Joe

2006-08-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here I am drinking a good cup of Joe at Java Creek :) I just got done with a meeting. I'm going to be coaching a High School basketball team. I am very excited. It's a new team and I have been given the opportunity to actually outline the basketball philosophy that 3 teams will operate under. Anyways I am excited.

Besides that I have a new theology. Joy is really good!

Leadership

2006-08-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading this book by John C. Maxwell on Leadership. I must admit that it is a fascinating (at least for me) and insightful book. He does a masterful job of relating kingdom principles in a covert way to the general public. This book stirs you to become a person of influence and integrity in a Christ-Like manner.

Here I Am Again

2006-08-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Based on Luke 18, I have decided that the motto for my LIFE is simply "Here I Am Again God." It's the best I can do. I'm the foolish things of the world. All I have to give is my heart and my love. The testimony of my LIFE and my generation is we are overcomers. And I figure if I can just show up before His throne today, He will do the rest. No matter what happens, good or bad, "here I am again God."

And so on that note I just want to declare that I'm signing back up again. Signing up to stand before the Lord as a preist to minister and love Him first. To go deep in the knowledge of this beautiful terrifying Man Christ Jesus and to behold His Glory. I am a lover of God. I have lost focus for about the last week and run away from God, but I'm turning. "Here I Am Again God." You know me fully and you call me a friend. How amazing is your kindness and tender Mercy that surrounds me. My boast will be that I know you and your ways.

Rainy Days

2006-08-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

I simply need to excercise the creative muscles in my brain. As of late they have been very stagnant nad that's bad because it's fun to be creative. I find, like most things, for me it just takes a focused effort to sit myself down and allow crativity to come out. Many times at first it's frustrating because nothing is there. Eventually though the poems, songs and ideas come.

So I have officially decide that I need three solid days on the beach uninterrupted with no human contact. Just God, me, the ocean and a lot of sand. I could post a picture of the ocean here, but it would just be sad as it would be as close as I would get for a while.

Lastly, today I choose to open my heart up again to love. The truth is I love people and love to really connect with thier hearts and know them, but sometimes it's painful and my heart is frail. Oh that Jesus would give me a love like His to bear all things, believe all things... Love never fails.

Here I Sit... And Ponder

2006-08-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Thinking about life again...

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in which I will have a meeting in a few minutes with a dear friend, discussing a job opportunity. It's a great place to be. I had an hour to relax and serf the net before we meet and then I go home and mow the lawn. A 40 acre lawn!

I'm relaxed, and I find that one of the greatest treasures in life is REST. True rest, peace and clarity of mind. The type of rest in which you feel liberated from burdens and stress. The type of rest in which you are devoid of striving to attain anything, but simply content with being, and in your being you are secure. This rest elludes most people including myself.

Gotta go...

Updates and Stuff

2006-08-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

My birthday was on the 10th. I am now 26 years old. I got a playstation 2 among other things for my birthday. I have had one before and it sucked my life away. Hopefully this time I can play it in moderation. I'm believing I have grown to that point in discipline. It's been fun.

There are a lot of other things going on as well. We just got done with the first in a series of conferences called Glory Road. It went well. The main speaker was Jeff Jansen from Global Fire Ministries. There was some impartation to the Word that He released and quite an open heaven. It was fun.

Personally I am learning about trusting God. Therin lies the rest of God. Committ my way to Him, that's what He's asking.

What I'm Reading

2006-08-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have a burning desire in this present season to digest the book of Daniel and Revelations 4+5. I suppose one of the biggest things I have noticed while reading these particuler books is how irrelevant I sometimes think Revelation is, but how truly relevant it really is at every moment. The two themes I seem to be struck with the most is that there is a throne in heaven, literally, which all life comes from. And that from this throne is sovereingn power. These two truths have the ability to lift our comprehension of who God is to a whole new level, and impact the way we live right now. But I'm also finding my unbelief in these realities. I'm thinking to myself if I truly believed that every happening on earth has it's origin in heaven and that this God who is sovereign, and on the throne, is actually in me and with me; Then I would tend to live a little diferently which I don't really think I'm doing. So Lord help me see, let it be real! Amen

Running With Horses

2006-07-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

What if you were to cry out to God " oh God there is apathy all around me. Wickedness is increasing, the more I pursue you the harder it gets. I try to love and people just treat me worse." And what if He answered you like this?

"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5)

This is the generation in which the dreaded champions are arising. They cry out who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the name of the Lord? They are marked by a burning zeal and love for God and man. They pursue righteousness with all their hearts. They are relentless. Their perservering and enduring nature compels them to press through every obstacle towards the fullness of their destiny. They know who they are and where they are going. They refuse to be distracted by the pleasures of this age. They love not their lives unto death.

Out of the mouth of Babes

2006-07-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

It all started when 10 year old tyler asked me to play the guitar so he could play the drums. Before you know it we have an impromptu harp and bowl session going with his 12 year old sister and a teen singing and prayer leading. Of course unbeknownst to them I had just recieved some bad news so this was the kiss of God to my heart. I played melodies for them and they worshipped their hearts out. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Israel

2006-07-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

"What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing -- the birth pangs of a new Middle East. And whatever we do, we have to be certain that we are pushing forward to the new Middle East, not going back to the old one."

Condoleza Rice

I couldn't have said it better myself. These really are birth pangs, in which there will be a new middle east. One in which Jesus Christ Himself will set foot on the earth in Jerusalem and all things will become new.

Good Times

2006-07-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

So a good friend of mine, Keri, unexpectedly came and took me out for the night. The night all started out with a couple DQ blizzards which is a good start to an evening I must say :) And it ended with a mad dash through a gauntlet of at least 8 sprinklers, which were on both sides of the sidewalk we were on. Did we have to run through it? No. But it looked like too much fun to pass up and we were pretty good and wet when we came out the other side.

On the drive home we actually just shared a bit of each others testimony and you know what? Jesus has been so good to us. He really has saved us and is doing a work in us. I look back on the person I used to be and I realize He has done something supernatural, a work of restoration. Completely undeserved. And for this I am thankful!

Where I really am

2006-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

"This process brings us to a place of being divinely "undone" with where we have come in life so that we can recognize that we need to get somewhere else even if we don't know how to get there yet."
Shawn Bolz

I am coming into an awareness that I have been given a "high calling," in Christ Jesus and that my eternity will be effected by how I choose to spend today. This has been very good, and not so good. Good because it's causing my vision to explode and my diligence to increase, but bad because I am finding that I have no ability nor idea how to get to where He's taking me. Again this is good because I am forced to be dependant upon Him, but it's painful and it feels terrible. The whole reality of my life consists of either He breaks in and supernaturall frees me and sets me running or a whole bunch of bad alternitives that will be the result of ME. AAAAGHHH!

Mater

2006-07-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

The gentlemen on your left in the photo is Mater. I would just like to introuduce him to you all as perhaps the funniest man ever to grace the world, or at least the animated world. And there is more to him then meets the eye. If you can see past his physical beauty and outrageous sense of humor you'll see a sincere, and loving heart.

The Art Of War

2006-07-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

“If you are going through hell...keep going.”
Winston Churchill

Love

2006-07-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

In Matthew 5:48 It says to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. That's right, it says to be perfect. And not only does it tell us to be perfect, but it comes right after an exhortation to love your enemies. And this is the battle I find myself in the midst of. Will I learn to love? Will I love the unlovely? Will I love those that mistreat me? Will I take up my cross like He did for me and move beyond my comfort and selfishness and pour myself out? Will I forgive and extend uncommon Mercy? This is the best way I am finding. To truly walk this out, all I can do is lean.

Life

2006-07-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

In First Veto, Bush Blocks Stem Cell Bill

Amen President Bush. The fight for life continues!

Thoughts From The Prayer Room

2006-07-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am fully convinced that our ability to remain steady and faithful in our walk with God is dependant upon our confidence in His love for us.

Coffee Drinkers

2006-07-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

If you are a coffee drinker, like I am I would like to suggest your investment in a good espresso machine. I woke up today and because I have one in my house I had the privalege and ability to make a fine brew without having to pay $3-$4. Of course I havn't reached starbucks quality drinks yet, but I'm working on it. You can save $20 a week easy.

In My Mothers Own Words

2006-07-14T22:59:00.000-07:00

"I need Revival! You know when your remembering something and it's right on the tip of your tounge to say, but you can't quite remember what it is? That's how I feel right now about Revival."

A Couple Thoughts

2006-07-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

In the house of prayer in Cedar Rapids we have been going hard after Revival. You can literally feel faith and expectation building. An interesting thought has been striking my heart. I'm realizing the reason we are praying and expecting God to move is because we are appealing to the goodness of God and His willingness to pour out blessing. In Joel 2, the reason God will send His glory is because He is Gracious and Compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. The nature of God is that He loves to redeem. He loves Justice and He loves to save. We can be confident in our prayers not because we are praying really hard, but because He is good. Appeal to His MERCY and He will respond.

Good Morning

2006-07-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's 8:00 am and I thought I'd write a little hello to start the day. I'm going to have a cup of coffea and go do some work outside (not my first choice of things to do but necessary)

A friend has led me to a great little resource I thought I would pass along. Its google reader. Here is a link so you can try it out yourself

reader.google.com

It let's you take all the material you read online from different web pages and condenses it into one webpage. Plus it updates new articles and postings from each site automatically.

I wanted to write something funny on here, but it's early and I got nothin. Good day beautiful People!

Fresh Off The Presses

2006-07-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

I'm finding out that it's hard to really do one thing without Jesus. That one thing is, Live! And I think because I have truly been ruined by Him He is doing this to me on purpose. I mean He is expecting me to live in a place of brokeness while at the same time believing who I am in Him and being confident in my identity, but yet without any pride and arrogance and in meekness. Ha! He is wanting me to contend for the fullness of His power, revival, souls and signs and wonders, but yet resign myself to a place of hiddeness so He can expose all of my false motivations, but He still wants me to contend for fulness. He wants me to open up my heart in love while experiencing rejections and fears, the very things that cause the human heart to shut down. Though my human frame is racked with vanities and self consciousness He wants me to completely be swallowed up in Him and proclaim that it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. This is completely contrary to sinful man. So before I share too much info, I'm finding His kingdom and His ways are filled with contrasts and beautifull paradoxes that just can't be walked out without a lot of HELP! Holy Spirit I need you desperately to do this thing even a little bit. And just when I think that I'm starting to really be like Jesus a little He opens up another gaping hole in my heart! Just and True are His ways. My new motto at least for a minute is "Here I am again." It's taken from Luke 18 the widow of persistent prayer. I have just decided that in every season, on every mountain and in every vally I'm going to just keep setting my heart before His throne simply listening and asking, "Here I am again Lord." And I believe He will reward me, He will reward US.

Hello Again!

2006-07-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted. Mostly due to the fact that on my computer I'm having trouble getting into blogger. I'm on a different computer now so hopefully from time to time I will be able to update this site.

So I have learned several things since my last post. Well more than several things, but I can only think of several at the moment.

1. I really need to get off cafine. I have had a hedache for a couple days now.

2. It's painful to take chances with your heart. Wether it be in relationships or stepping out and taking a chance in ministry beyond what you can control (this is good) it's just not easy. But, it's the only way to live. For a moment in my life I have really started to believe that I am the Son of God and He likes me. I can step out in faith because I believe He has good things for me. Of course when I stepped out in several things none of them turned out the way I wanted exactly and people began to get angry with me. But somehow after coming through a brief depression, my resolve is streangthened that I want to continue to step in faith believing. I'm learning how to dream and that the Father wants to give me good things. And even though it seems nothing worked right, His plan is perfect and He uses the dissapointment and the trials to work something eternal into my soul. He uses the hardship to test me and prove my faith and I think He really just wants to see if I'm serious. Anyway...

3.I'm still learning that I am broken and it's not a bad thing to be. It's a safe place to remain.

4. Did I mention I need to stop drinking caffine. Someone hold me accountable!

I have been reading two books as of late, actually more, but these are the two that are really hitting me. The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Valloten and The Power to Change the World by Rick Joyner.

Key to Overcoming: Apostolic Seeing

2006-04-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

It is very clear biblically that the ability of our forefathers, prophets and apostles to endure in the Faith until the end of their lives was hingent upon their ability to "see" and believe in Him who is unseen. Christ Himself it says in Hebrews 12 endured the cross for the joy set before Him. Jesus persevered the trials of this life because He was "seeing" and living for, and moving towards a spiritual reality that was certain, but yet unseen in the natural. This eternal "seeing" is a foundation to our faith and is necissary to cultivate in order to endure the trials and suffering that is a promise for those who would give their lives for righteousness and the gospel of the kingdom. As deep darkness comes upon the earth, there will be a glorious church walking in peace and confidence because she has seen and laid hold of her eternal inheritance in a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Lets look again at Revelation 12.

Rev 12:11 "They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

We have previously looked at the word of our testimony as it relates to the past and present. The third component to the word of our testimony is the future; Those things that are future, but through faith are just as real as our past and present. Isaiah 42:9 "See the former things have taken place, and new things I declare, before they spring into being I declare them to you." (editors translation) If we understand the eternal nature of God we can know that His promises of future events are as much of a certainty as events that have already taken place. Let's look at a few scripture verses regarding the apostle Paul and the hero's of the faith.

Paul in Philippians 3:12 says "but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Part of what Paul is speaking about here are realities that will be manifest in this life, but the fulness of what he is expressing will not be seen until the next age. Phil 3:20 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ... Therefore my brothers... that is how you should stand firm in the Lord." It is evident that Pauls ability to endure suffering in this life was directly related to his ability to "see" and apprehend by faith the eternal reward that would be due him by overcoming. Don't get me wrong. There is fulfilment in Christ in this lifetime. Our mandate is to partner with heaven in bringing the kingdom to earth, but this is nothing compared to the glorious realities promised to us in the age to come. In Hebrews 11 we see that the forefathers and prophets became overcomers by this same "seeing."
Hebrews 11:13-15 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not recieve the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return." And Hebrews 12:3 exhorts us to live by this same faith so that by patience and endurance we might overcome and inherit our promises. Not only is eternal vision important in enduring until the end, but it's a critical component to us actually living the gospel in this life. The principles of the kingdom of heaven are foolishness in this world system. If we are living with our eyes set on earthly gain there is no motivation to live out Matthew 5-7 because these truths do not earn for us for the most part any worldly honor. The rewards for servanthood, meekness and poorness of spirit are only understood when we can "see" the "great is your reward in heaven." As a friend of mine says, the kingdom is now and not yet. We would be wise to cultivate diligence in the immediacy of life and also eternal vision that drives us upwards. My next writing will take a look at what some of the future promises to us as believers are and how they give us streangth and hope in this life. This will be important as persecution and trouble increases.

An Overcoming Generation

2006-04-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

I have decided to postpone my delving into Revival for a moment in favor of this topic

Burning on my heart at this moment for my own life and those of my generation, is the need for and enduring and perservering spirit. It is necessary as the End of The Age draws near to allow the Holy Spirit to instil in us a resoluteness and Holy Violence. We must shake free from the consumer mentality that pervades our culture. It is imperitive at this time that we break free from dullness of spirit and passivity in the Grace of God. We must begin to cultivate vision that "sees" with an eternal perspective, and that is founded upon the principles of the kingdom. For lack of vision many are perishing. And as we begin to recieve vision from the Holy Spirit for our lives as we ask Him, we must remind ourselves that we're running at a marathon pace. And also to fix our eyes upon Christ and His endurance of the Cross so that we don't lose heart. In this short article I seek to present some key components to Enduring and Overcoming to challenge my heart and yours to continue to move forward and stay in the race.

Key #1 Might upon the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 3:16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man

Ephesians 6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

We simply need to be empowered on a daily basis by the Holy Spirit to stand against wickedness. Not only this, but we need the tangible empowerment of the Holy Spirit to continue to grow in Christlikeness and the revelation of God's love.

Practicles to recieving the might of the Holy Spirit:
A. Pray in Tounges Daily
B. Abide in Christ by soaking, meditating ect.
C. Simply ask for might upon your heart

Key #2 Revelation 12:10 our roadmap to overcoming at the End of The Age

Rev 12:10-11for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death

Revelation 12:10-11 is worthy of some consideration and is a road map of how we are to stand firm in the Faith until Christ's return. I don't want to go in depth, but I will look at each point quickley

A. The Blood of The Lamb: The cross is unto us the power of salvation. Not only has the blood of Christ given us initial salvation and entrance to the kingdom, but the power of Christ's blood is available daily to continue to sanctify us and give us power over sin and death. We must continually come into a fuller revelation of the cross so that we can walk more fully in all of its benefits.

B. The Word of Their Testimony: There are 3 realms in which the Word of our testimony can strengthen us. They are the past present and future. Each one of these aspects of our testimony gives us hope and strength in who God is and that He will complete the work in us He has begun. Our testimony strengthens our faith and emboldens us to continue running the race. Our past testimony is a combination of past generations such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And then our personal testimony. It is important to understand that the testimony of past generations now becomes our testimony as we are grafted in and become family to our origional forefathers. We can believe in who God is today and who He will be tomorrow based on who He has been in our generations, and our own lives. He never changes. Our present testimony is what the Word Jesus Christ is doing in our midst in this season of our lives right now. What are the tokens He is giving us to let us know He is near.

The last part of our testimony which has already been writen and established is the future events of our life and the world. This deserves an in depth look because eternal vision based on the Word and promises of God are essential to living an overcoming life of faith. I will be writing a follow up article to delve deeper into this topic as well the remaining keys to overcoming and enduring.

Note: I was unable to edit spelling as my spell check is not working

Hope For Revival

2006-03-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

I am going to begin a weekly study of Revival. What is revival? Is revival in the heart of God? How do we play a part in bringing revival to the earth? What do we do with it once it's here? I also want to take a look at historic revivals, how they started and the impact they had on the world. I don't claim to have a great deal of understanding about revival, but it is on my heart and I feel that the Lord has spoken to me a significant amount about this topic. I think by writing the studies I have done and am doing, plus the revelation the Lord has given me, it will help to root this deeper into my own heart as well as others.

I want to start this process off by acknowledging the increadible move of God that is taking place in America right before our eyes. A couple of months ago there was a 40 day fast that was called in Dallas Texas. This fast was participated in by people all around the world and the prayer focus was for the Lord to send a healing revival to America again! Right now there is another 40 day fast in which prayer movements from all over America are crying out for LIFE and revival in America. Beloved, this should be encouragement to our heart. The reality is that God wants to break into Amercia.

Beloved, now is the time to cry out for the Grace of prayer like never before. Let us be the ones who say yes to seeing the greatest move of God America has ever seen! The excitement in the spirit is building. Mobilization and unity are beginning to happen. Prayer is ascending unto the throne of heaven and He promises speedy answers. To our knees to be endued with power, and then to the streets.

Hungry For God

2006-03-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Many times in our Christian lives we are satisfied with lesser pleasures and lesser loves than the Lord Himself. There are many purposes of fasting, but one is to expose the void within us of true relationship with God. When we are satisfied with worldly pleasures, many times we miss out on being filled with the substance of heaven. If during your fast you begin to experience a hunger, a painful longing for God. Do not run, but embrace this hunger as a divine invitation and entrance into the heart of God. This deep hunger for God many times will manifest in our searching for anything to fill us, but if we press on, a clear hunger for the Lord Himself will remain.

Isaiah 55: I want to share the two most powerful forms of heavenly currency by which we will access the heavens within this season of fasting and prayer.

Currency #1 Hunger, Thirsting, Desperation, Poorness of Spirit. I have lumped these all into one category

Isaiah 55:1 "Come, all you who are thirsty

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled."

Hunger and thirst for the Lord only comes from one thing. That is the recognition of our need for Him. Simply put, if we are satisfied and have no need for more of God, we will not position ourselves to receive from Him. Fasting helps us to recognize our neediness and gives us the currency of hunger by wich we will be filled with food from heaven.

currency #2 Faith

The second currency we see in Isaiah 55 is faith. If we don't believe by faith we can receive from God, we will never seek it. In Isaiah 55 the Lord's directive is to "Come," come and eat, come and receive from heaven. Hunger creates desire, and faith enables us to come to the Lord and access heaven.

Hebrews 11:6 " And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

Prayer: Father I ask today that you would give me the gift of an unquenchable and unrelenting hunger for you. I ask that you would give me faith and create in me an expectancy for your kingdom to come in power. Father let my hunger for the lesser pleasures of this world be swallowed up with desire for you alone. In Jesus Name, Amen

FROM INDIA!!

2006-02-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the Kokota airport terminal listening to Joanna Reyburn on the net and thinking about many things. I am wondering where this is all going. What I mean by "all" is Jesus, my own LIFE and the rest of the world. During the time I have spent in India so far I am convinced of a few things...

1. It's all about love. Loving Jesus with all that we have and letting His love flow through us to all the earth

2. No matter what we do in LIFE, wether in ministry, or on the job or in school. Wether we are christian or non christian. The only thing that makes our LIFE a success is that the Father in heaven loves us and did we allow Him change us and mold us into the image of His Son. I have witnessed miricles healings and salvations in India. And trust me this is glorious and this is the heart of the Lord. We should give ourselves to pursuing His heart for the harvest and walking in power as He walked. But in the midst of all, am I growing in Love, Humility and Meekness? Am I serving well and Gladly? Am I walking in mercy and forgiveness. Am I fully in the will of my Father in heaven? Am I living on the outside only, or from the "inside out?"

3. The world desperately needs revival. And God desires to give it and will give it like never before in history. I don't know that I can say with full clarity that this is my main purpose, but I'm edging closer to making a bold statement that my LIFE has been wittled down to 2 things. 1 loving Jesus Christ and 2uruing revival at all costs. I firmly believe many in my generation are arising with the same heart cry. What do I mean by revival? I mean the presence and glory of the Lord breaking in in geographic locations. Prayer and repentance sweeping across entire cities and even nations. A harvest of souls coming into the church with signs of transformation and true conversion. Healing in geographic locations on a mass level. Healing of the land, the people ect. The transformation of governmental systems in cities and nations. Unity coming to the body of Christ and the list goes on. That was off the top of my head, I will compile some lists with a little better understanding and clarity of vision at a later time (for Travis :) )

Jesus and the movements of my heart

2006-02-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

The first thing I would like to say in this little blog entry of mine is that I and we, and us, we need Jesus Christ. For real! It's so easy in this world of ours (religion included) to miss the whole point of all of this. The whole point of all of this is that God the Father had a dream to give His Son a bride. This glorious man Christ Jesus was His Son, and He wanted to give His Son a bride. He wanted a people to know(Yes, intamately as when a man knows a woman except in a pure spiritual sense) He wanted a people to know His Son fully and that they would be fully known by Him. He wanted a people caught up in the pleasures of loving Him extravagantly and wholeheartedly while He showered His love upon them. Yes this is why we are here. We have lost our focus on the cross and we (I included) have lost our focus on the beauty of Christ and His love for us. Anyway's I'm rambling and preaching, but I had to talk about Jesus. I'm finding that two realities are the foundation and all that I need. The Cross, and the heart of the Father. From these fountains come everything else.

I saw two movies this week, Glory and Glory Road. Glory is a movie I have seen many times and just felt like watching again and Glory Road is a new movie out in theatres. Both of them are "civil rights" type movies about the struggle for African Americans to gain their freedom and equality. Needless to say since I am half black, these movies really touch me deeply and cause me to think quite a bit.

One thing about both of these movies that has really gripped me is what these people had to go through. They are hero's, not only to me, but to anybody who believes that Justice, Righteousness and Freedom are worth something. Sometimes I like to think that I am radical and really giving my LIFE to the Lord. In a sense I am, but in another sense I'm scared sometimes just to witness to one person. In both movies these men and women had to literally put their lives on the line everyday just because they were different. I want to share a story from my favorite movie Glory and maybe in a later post I will share about the basketball movie Glory Road.

In one scene from Glory, the Colonel Robert Shaw is given a proclomation from the Confederate Congress. This movie takes place during the Civil War and Col. Shaw is a Union officer in command of one of the only Black infantry units in the military at that time. Many of them were run away slaves, and some of them were free, but they all came to fight for their freedom from the oppression and injustice of racial hatred. The proclomation from the Confederate Congress is warning the white officers that if they are found in command of black soldiers they would be put to death. It also warns the black soldiers that if they are found wearing a military uniform they would be put to death. The scene takes place in the evening and Colonel shaw tells them he will give them discharges in the morning if they want them. He leans over to his white officer freind and whispers "if I don't see you tomorrow, I understand." Then the scene shifts to the morning time and of course Colonel Shaw beholds the glorious scene of every man choosing to stay in the army rather than run away.

This scene really challenges me because this is not just a game. It was the same with the basketball movie because it was a true story. And it's the same with Martin Luther King Jr. and many many blacks in that day. And it's the same with the persecuted church or with Christ Himself. This is reality, and this is what moves the human heart like no other thing. To really have something that you would give your LIFE for. Lose your LIFE and you will find it. What would it mean for us to literally have to face death everyday for the sake of the gospel. Can we even imagine that?

The other thing that struck me was endurance. In this scene of Glory it wasn't so much that the soldiers did anything, but that they just showed up instead of getting discharges. That's part of the strategy of the enemy. He want's us to get discouraged, dissapointed, depressed. comfortable ect. Anything to just make us quit and give up. And sometimes it's not in our doing anything, but rather just choosing to show up again and believe. After having done everything to stand, STAND. Just show up day after day in the midst of the threats of the enemy because there really is something worth our LIFE

Ezekiel 22:30

2006-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

I want to propose that Ezekiel 22:30 is well worth our consideration in this hour of human history.

Ezekiel 22:30
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

I want to take a look at a small portion of this verse and pose a couple of questions

"so I (God) sought for a man." What could it mean, the reality that the uncreated, all powerful, eternal God is looking for a man on the earth to partner with Him in His purposes?

And, what if, this same God right now in this moment in human history is still looking for a man just like He was in Ezekiels day? Beloved, what if God, is looking for a man?

How Then Shall We Live?

2005-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

What is the message Jesus is trying to give us in these power packed lines??

I'm just going to write breifly some things I believe the Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me.

1. The folly of the people in Noah's day was that they were asleep to the spiritual hour in which they lived. They were eating and drinking and carrying on as usual when clearly the times they lived in required something else. They failed to discern and hear the trumpet of the Lord declaring a flood.

2. The generation of Noah was a transitional generation. Meaning that they were the generation in which the chapter to one era would close and another begin. The Lord clearly shows in Matthew 24 that again there will be a transitional generation in the Last days when He comes again. This transitional generation is the one that will live through the closing of the age from Jesus first coming and will usher in the new which is Jesus second coming

3. Matthew 24 is a warning and a trumpet call. Our example is Noah whom the Lord told that there would be a flood, and so because of the Word of the Lord and the neccessity of the times, Noah was required to make a radical shift in His priorities and lifestyle. He had to begin to build an ark which would have consumed time, resource, energy ect. It would have brought persecution and been a constant battle of faith as he waited years before the actual flood would come.

4. The question we must ask ourselves and the Lord is; Are we living in a transitional generation? And if so then how do we prepare ourselves? How do we make sure that we are awake and not asleep? How do we maintain a sense of urgency in the midst of a world that is asleep and drowning in a multitude of false securities and false pleasures. How then should we live?

LIFE

2005-12-01T00:27:00.000-08:00

The Battle Rages On For The Soul Of A Nation

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters" And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." (Mother Theresa -- "Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14)

Learning to Love

2005-11-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

I just found this prayer and it absolutely messed me up. For many sincere christians who seek to truly be like Christ. For many broken who know thier weakness, this is the desire of our hearts. This is the sum of all the law. This is a life well lived, to truly love

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.Where there is hatred, let me bring love.Where there is injury, let me bring pardon.Where there is discord, let me bring union.Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.Where there is error, let me bring truth.Where there is despair, let me bring hope.Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.Where there is darkness, let me bring light. O Divine Master,grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,to be understood as to understand,to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

2005-11-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

2005-11-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

I Knit You Together

2005-11-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

Take a good look at this picture. What happens as you gaze upon the beauty, the softness and gentleness of LIFE at it's finest? What happens when you look upon the purity and innocence of this child? What happens as you say to yourself how beautiful? What happens as your heart melts into mush? What happens as you picture yourself holding this precious creation in your hands? Perhaps for a moment you feel like the Father, full of delight, full of love.

We Fall Down, We Get Up

2005-11-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'm finding out a little about God's grace and His mercy. I'm realizing that He is with me right now while I'm on the computer writing this blog and He is loving me even in the middle of my weakness and darkness. He is here with me and if you are reading this He is right beside you smiling and He is glad and delighted in you. I know we are supposed to "know" this, but for someone insecure people who have felt for most of their life that they were never good enough, sometimes it's just hard to believe that God loves you. Until you have an encounter with God like Peter. You are so sure that you will follow Christ until the end except you don't even recognize that your relying more on your own strength than Jesus strength. Then you fail and you can't forgive yourself because your whole religious standing was based on how good your doing and so now your crushed. Now you don't know what to do. You think Jesus is going to reject you. The very faithfulness and righteousness you prided yourself on has just collapsed in front of you and you recognize your really just a mess. You are really weak and vulnerable and insecure and selfish. And in that moment Christ comes to affirm His love for you and your sincere heart for Him. The God of all creation takes the time to come to the foolish, the broken, the sinful, the poor and forgotten and simply say even now I love you. Even now I have great plans for you. Even now do I call you my bride. Oh what is the length and depth and height of this love. You forgive my sin, and you call me your own

Some Thoughts...

2005-11-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

On Blogging...
I really hope that this blog site does not turn into the normal "blog." A pessimistic rant about everything that ticks me off, or how to fix everything in the world that's wrong; Which would be most everything if this blog was a pessimistic angry blog page. Truth be told, the majority of our thought lives are exactly like the aforementioned "blog" including mine, but we need healing. Instead how about a blog that simply chooses to exhort Let's see.... I believe that president Bush is God's man for the hour in this nation. Praise God!!! I believe that America as a whole is praying never before. Praise God Revival is on the way!!! It's not 30 degrees below zero yet in Iowa!!! I am alive!!! His grace covers me!!! You get the point

On Walking with Jesus...
I am trying to figure out how to rest from my own striving so as not to turn into a self righteous pharisee, while at the same time living a LIFE of holiness and spiritual violence that settles for nothing less than apostolic Christianity. Yes that is a lot of jargon. What I'm saying is I want to do it like Jesus. This my friends is the process we all are in. My friend told me the other day that he didn't want to see me go so hard that I missed the thing I was actually supposed to get, Jesus. So I really want to quit trying to earn my stripes, failing and getting depressed. I want to rest and let Him begin to flow from within. Help Lord!!!!!!

On Religiosity...
Hate it

On Carnality...
Hate it

On The Spirit...
Need it

What's really going on?

2005-11-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

Alito Confirmation Hearing Set to Start on Jan. 9

Well this is my first blog entry with any substance and I don't really know where to start. I don't really want a blog spot to just be a journal although it will be that, but more than that i desire this site to be a place where people can get food for their soul. I would also love to have a bunch of great resources on here, tools to really help people along with their LIFE and FAITH.

Maybe this can be a portal to connect like hearts. Maybe it will be an un-religious christian site where some teenager who doesn't know the Lord might find something interesting and come into contact with a loving, real, personal God. Maybe....

The possibilities are endless.

I figured I'd start by just addressing the supreme court nomination of Sam Alito. I would love to hear the input of anybody dropping by on the blog. The central issue confronting every supreme court nominee is the abortion issue and it comes as no suprise. Their are many soldiers who have been faithfully standing in the gap for this nation asking for an ending to the bloodshed of abortion and it is not a suprise that we see the power basis of a nation shifting. Thank God that my generation is beggening to believe that the bible actually means what it says and that if they pray things will really happen. They are beggining to believe that they can go out to battle against the giants in the land (Abortion, Homosexuality to name a few) and win the battle.

I don't have a lot to say about Alito yet, but I am praying and asking for strategy on how to pray for him. I do know he is a conservative, and many have declared him to be another Scalia albeit dialed down just a little. I am hoping that he is god's man for the job and that just maybe the balance of power would shift in the courts from a bench legislating, humanistic supreme court to one who upholds the constitution and the Justice of heaven.

Jesus I plead your blood over my sins and the sins of my nation, God end abortion and send revival to America

Me

2005-11-03T02:42:00.000-08:00