~Phlogizō~

Beautiful Stranger

2010-11-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

My feet were dragging as I sniffled my nose and said a prayer as I walked into the building. I wasn't feeling well and my heart was in a difficult spot. Yet the call of duty was to go and serve and bless and share life with so many youth and their families. It's amazing what a smile can do; lifting the heaviest of hearts and easing the biggest of burdens. Hugs were given, hands were high-fived and the turkey was served. The flow of traffic was minimal at best, so with body aching, I decided to go sit down and rest a minute.

In that moment as I literally sank into the chair, I heard God whisper to me to look up, and that's when I saw her. Covered in pink and purple and bundled in well-worn clothes, she sat on the bench talking to herself, all alone. My heart was moved and I walked over and met a new friend. Her name was Ruth, and she was waiting for a church service to start. With no family here, she said she is friends with many "holy people" and doesn't have many teeth left. I gave a little smirk as my heart was warmed by her sincerity, her authenticity. With great joy I went and got her a heaping plate of hot, delicious Thanksgiving food, carefully wrapped with foil for the road ahead.

I came back and she was beyond grateful, all for a warm plate of food. A student of mine, one trapped in such anger and bitterness from not having a father, walked up and was curious as to what was going on. I made the introductions and asked if we could pray for her. The two of us laid our hands on her and we prayed as the tears began to flood my eyes and my heart began to soften. I knew the Lord was doing something, yet I didn't know what...but I knew it would be good. We said our Amens and our eyes met, tears in both of our eyes tinted by the redness...and a smile swept across all of our faces in that sweet moment.

Something had shifted in that moment, clearly Jesus was there in our midst doing what He does best. You see, it goes deeper than a face. Every face has a name behind it, every name a story that goes with it, and yes, the eyes are the window of our souls. (Matthew 6:22-23). And somehow, in that moment, it was as if God was literally calling out each of our names. In the midst of our pain, covering 3 generations represented by the 3 of us, all with a different story and different issues, yet all alone prior to this moment...we were now together, united and calling on the name of Jesus.

The hardened and tough student walked away, grinning from ear to ear with a bounce in his step. I watched as she slowly made her way outside into the brisk air of the night, plate in hand. And I sat there reflecting. Where would she sleep tonight? Does she know she is not forgotten? And then as a tear rolled down my cheek I was reminded of how incredible my God is. No, we are truly never alone. Yes, love wins every time...

Cheese and Crackers

2010-11-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

It was another day full of clearing brush, watering the fold, and scooping the sheep poop. Yes, David was a keeper of the sheep. And yet little did he know that his miniscule duties would lead him to a momentous destiny. Cheese and crackers, that's it. He was instructed by his father to take some cheese and crackers to the men in battle and to check up on his brothers. It was time for the youngest brother to stand in the gap for his father, delivering food and checking on the others. So with staff in hand and grazing cotton balls left behind, David took off.

As David approached he saw the landscape of the battle that had been unfolding: 2 teams, 2 mountains, 1 valley, and 1 giant. Perhaps the greatest moment of David's life was about to explode, all with cheese and crackers in hand. There are 4 words in verse 23 that forever changed history that day: "And David heard him." Remember, he was sent to check on his brothers and deliver the goods. But God had something greater in progress.

The people of Israel had faced this giant for 40 days. Can you imagine? Wake up each morning, put on the armor, have a little bread and then go and take your stand...facing the same enemy day after day? Not moving forward, no gaining ground, but just standing there. You're fully suited, and yet not fully equipped. Gripped by fear and insecurities, all you know to do is stand there. And on top of all of this, day after day, the giant named Goliath would come out with the ranks of the Philistines and torment the Israelites, laughing in their faces as he mocked not only them, but their God.

You see, it's not the mere presence of a giant that causes one to fight. The land is filled with giants, and is also filled with the people of God suited up and ranked out just standing there. But something is shifted when a child of the King hears the giant mocking his God. David heard him. And David ran to the battle line to stare this giant in the face, for he knew that victory was his through God. Go ahead, read the rest of the story in 1 Samuel 17...I dare you!

So I leave you with this. What is your giant(s) speaking against you and your God? Unplug your ears. Do you hear him? They are defying the very God that has rescued you and redeemed you. Does that not move you? Does something within your chest rage at the enemy that laughs in your face? If we are not moved to fight when we hear the giant mocking our God, maybe we need to check our alliances. Can you hear him?

I believe that David not only heard the giant, but he also heard the voice of his champion, God, that day. His champion was cheering him on, "Come on David! That's my boy! I'm with you! You have victory through me!" Oh Goliath was offended at the sight of a young shepard boy, but God will you use anyone who is willing. Anyone who has ears to hear. Anyone who has complete faith and unshakeable confidence in his God. It is the voice of our Beloved that beckons us, calls us deeper, speaks with more authority and power than a stupid giant. Can you hear Him?

Yes the land is filled with giants. Yes the enemies laugh in our faces and mock our God, the only true God. Yes the Father is looking for ones to stand in the gap. Yes, our champion is cheering us on. Yes, mere cheese and crackers can lead one to their destiny. Be faithful in the small things. And yes, unplug your ears and hear. For our God is greater, our God is stronger, God You are higher than any other. And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what can stand against us?

We Never Lose!

2010-05-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Nearly every Saturday for the last few months, I have found myself sitting at a peewee league soccer game, perhaps becoming a most obnoxious fan at times. I have found a special place in my heart for the "Mighty Ladybugs", a team of 10 year old girls loving to play soccer. I have watched them grow and develop in skill over the last year or so. They have always been the underdogs, one of those situations where you hope you don't lose the game by a slaughtering type. But recently they have figured out what it takes to win, and they like it (and so do we the fans!). There is a tenacity about these youth that has caused the typical yawn of a Saturday morning soccer game to have grown into quite the hootin and hollerin of yet another big W for the Mighty Ladybugs! A couple of weeks ago, we were beating one of the most arrogant teams in the league. I was having such a good time with my friend as we cheered them on and celebrated their hard work, when I heard something from another fan just behind me. The girl, in her not-so-innocent voice said, "This is the team that never wins. They always lose!" Instead of backhanding the youth like my prideful Ladybug Fan wanted to do, I turned and shared that with my friend and we laughed it off. Ever since she said that, I can't stop thinking about it.

We all know that as Christians we wage a spiritual battle against our enemy, Satan. We live in a fallen and broken world, and evil seems to prevail. It doesn't take but a few moments in the day to realize that we truly are engaged. The Bible even tells us of such things: That our enemy is out to destroy us, that we don't battle flesh and blood but principalities of darkness, and there is no neutral. One is either for God, or against God. The Lord has been using this simple peewee league soccer moment, to stir up my spirit and remind me of some things.

We all face different giants in our lives, some have been around for years and some just show up on the spot in the middle of what would otherwise be a glorious day. The week after that game, I ended up with 2 migraines. Headaches are a giant in my life. I have been to the doctor and taken pills and to no avail, nothing but the blood of Jesus will suffice for my need. As I woke up with intense pain and frustrated, I heard the enemy whisper into my heart: "This is the team that never wins, they always lose!" Oh how this has stirred such a tenacity in my spirit! Tell me I can't do it, watch me prove you wrong. Just like Goliath defying the army of God, I hear Satan again and again defy the army of God.

So often we forget that this is a fixed fight, meaning the end results have already been determined. You see, in Jesus name, we win! We are victorious, we are more than conquerors through Him. We also know that our enemy is a bluffer, it is not possible for him to tell the truth. So the question remains: Why do we hear his lies as truth and live our lives by them? Is it because our lives line up with what he is speaking? Oh I understand exactly. The Bible says that by His stripes, we are healed! So why do I have migraines? I don't know! But I will tell you that I reach a point of extreme frustration every time my reality conflicts with what my God says! So I will not give attention to his whispers any longer.

I am tired of seeing the saints running from their giants and crying over their bruise on their leg from the enemy. I am tired of watching the enemies of God defy the very people of God and laugh in our faces. I am tired of the devil having his way instead of God's truth reign supreme in our lives. I am tired of letting the enemy come and plunder our goods, taking what is not his. When will the mighty warriors of God rise up and encroach on the enemy's camp and take back what is ours? When will the mighty warriors of God rise up and go head first and swords up into battle? When will the people of God refuse to live their lives according to anything but the Word of God?

Merely looking at the greatness of a giant will lead one to a timid runaway of hiding in a cave, until your destiny is missed forever. Simply hearing a giant defy the greatness of God will lead one to a tenacious encroachment of the enemy's camp, until the giant is slain forever! We are the team that always wins, we never lose in Jesus name!

"Splintered Love"

2010-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

The foot of the blood-stained cross is the best place to be, knowing that in this place is only where we can be free.

But it's not over here just yet, for from the grave has our Jesus left.

And now seated at the right hand of the Father in all of His splendor, at His holiness and awesomeness we can only tremble.

I can't wait to look into His eyes of fire and hold His strong hands, knowing for eternity that satan is a liar and this earth is not my eternal land.

Jesus keep us near the cross; splinters, blood, tears and all...

Crashing Down

2010-04-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Oh that we could ever fully grasp the magnitude, power, and glory of our risen King Jesus! What a mighty God we truly serve! I am convinced more and more just how living and active the Word of God is. It truly is sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing bone and marrow. There is so much life, truly life abundant, in the Lord! I had read something recently that the Spirit has continued to stir in my heart. Please take a moment to read 1 Samuel 5:1-4 before proceeding.

During this time, the Philistines had captured the ark of the Lord. Now the ark contained the 10 Commandments, but it also represented the very presence of God. The ark was with them on their desert wanderings (Numbers 10:17, 33). It was carried with them into battle (Joshua 6). The ark was of great importance to the people of God, but now it had been taken.

So when the Philistines took it, they placed in the house of Dagon. Dagon was the god of the Philistines. It was some type of a fish-god with "dag" meaning "fish." Dagon's worshippers had a deep affection to their supposed deity. It's interesting to me that they would put the ark of the Lord right next to Dagon, but they did and they went to bed.

The next morning they arose to find Dagon had fallen and facedown before the ark of the Lord. So they resituated him and stood him back up and then proceeded to bed. Again the next morning, they awoke to find Dagon having fallen over and facedown before the ark of the Lord, but this time his head and hands had been cut off.

Now it's helpful to remember, this was a statue of sorts! How does a non-living thing fall down and facedown for that matter? Ironic? Convenient? I think not! Now sure, maybe an angel brushed by and whacked it really hard with it's wing. Maybe whoever set it up to begin with didn't do a very good job. Or perhaps it's just true what God has said, that He alone is to be worshipped and exalted. Maybe it really is true that there is no god like our God! Maybe there's a good chance that the presence of God is so powerful it causes demons to flee and lame men to walk and the dead to rise and statues to fall and crumble and giants to be slain! Yes it is truth!

Oh people of the living God, are you getting this?! When I read this, I couldn't help but laugh in reverential fear at the powerful, all-consuming presence of God. I was quickly reminded of the Scripture that says that every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Yes He truly is! There is none that can stand up against Him! No fake deity or arrogant people could ever demote God, the One and only true God!

Oh that we would see the magnificent beauty in this, God cannot and will not be mocked! God is omnipotent, meaning all-powerful. There is nothing in life, whether in the world or in our lives, that can alter the character of God. He is unchanging and faithful to the end! 1 Corinthians 4:20 says this: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

May this reign true in our lives this day! May we walk in the truth, the truth of God's Word. May His presence be so thick upon you that it causes idols to come crashing down! May the crowns in our lives that we have taken time to treasure and polish and set up be thrown down at the feet of the holy One! May the Jesus in us cause demons to shudder and flee! May the power of God's manifest presence in our lives change and rearrange everything! May dagons be destroyed in Jesus name and may each of our knees be the ones to bow, may our tongues confess, that yes Jesus, You alone are Lord!

War Cry

2010-04-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Oh heavenly Father,

I look to my left and to my right and in the mirror, and I see him (satan) just having his way, like it's burger king, with the people of God. We seem to be just a chew toy in the mouth of the deceiving enemy and at the mercy of his evil intent. Well I have had it! No more in Jesus name! It's time to rise up against this thing and slay it once and for all! It's a fixed fight, and we win in Jesus name! I long to see the glory of God, to see mighty warriors of the Lord chasing down the enemy while screaming "Jesus!" It is time for us to have our way with him. It's time for things to change. I refuse to be a slobbered on, lied to, shredded apart chew toy any longer!

We are the head, not the tail. We are victorious, not defeated. We walk in the truth, not run in fear. The darkness cannot overcome the light. We slay giants, we don't dread them. We battle tenaciously, not crawl into foxholes sheepishly. We stand against the enemy, we don't shrink back. We burn with the fire of God and not from the flaming arrows of the evil one. We run as ones to win the prize, we don't merely play games like the rest. We cause demons to scatter, and we don't turn and scatter. We diminish strongholds, they don't have dominion over us. We bring heaven to earth, we don't just long for heaven. We go and take back what the enemy has stolen from us, we don't give him more. We move mountains with our faith, our mountains don't move us. We stand upon the truth, even when others fall.

Rise up mighty warriors of the living God, we cannot and must not quit! We are just getting started. While Sunday services are predictable, trained warriors are unpredictable. Like David going to deliver some crackers and cheese, we will not leave until the enemy flees! We serve the living God, the One and only true God! The One who says: "I am that I am." There is nothing and nobody that can alter the character of God. Jehovah our Warrior is fighting for us and we win! I'm a warrior, I'm a worshipper. When I lift my hands, demons have to flee. When I lift my voice, mountains have to move. When I lift up my sword, giants have to fall! I'm a warrior, I'm a worshipper.

Oh that we would have a relentless spirit, a tenacity that is unbroken! Give us warrior spirits like you Jehovah, Jesus mighty Jesus! We wage war and we move forward. We follow you and we will not stop until we are throwing our crowns at your feet in absolute awe and total worship of you King Jesus! Let the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!

Knucklez Up With Satan

2010-04-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

My hunch is to punch, while my swing is to sing. Round three, round four, I've got to have more. I can't do this without my Jesus, I be walkin by faith and trustin that He seein me. You may give me a jab and a killer left hook, but in the end you will be defeated cuz I'm living by the book. I will not go down without a fight because I'm fixin to keep walkin in this marvelous light. At the end of round ten you gonna be knocked out, and then in victory with my King Jesus I will give a shout. I sure ain't scared of you, cuz my Jesus is the ultimate truth. So go ahead and try to play around, after all, you fixin to be the only one left on the ground...

King of Glory

2010-03-09T14:48:00.001-08:00

Who is like our God, mighty to save and merciful enough to do so? A great and mighty warrior is our King Jesus, the one and only true God. He is the King of kings and the Lord of all lords; Who can truly fathom His awesomeness? He outstretches His mighty arm to deliver His people, crushing the head of the enemy again and again and again. Unchanging in all of His ways, He is faithful to the end. He is a good Father who loves His children, who inclines His ear to those who call aloud to Him. He is a God of justice and righteousness, how fair and lovely He is. There is none that can stand up against Him, He is the beginning and the end. He has all power and authority, His glory fills the earth like the waters the seas. He is a jealous God, longing for the hearts of His people. He is an all-consuming fire, the ultimate sacrifice, the purest love, the absolute truth, the deepest of treasures and sweetest of fragrances. Just one glimpse from His beautiful face, just one touch from His tender hand, just one word from His powerful voice changes everything. He is the dream giver and destiny fulfiller. He is the fulfillment of all prophecies and the great champion; There is none like Jesus, Mighty Jesus. We will never fully comprehend and understand all of who He is. If we did, worship would not exist. There is such a depth to the Lord that we truly cannot fathom. He is Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim. What a great and mighty God we serve! He alone is worthy of all glory, honor, power and praise. Yet how often we forget and neglect this truth.

We may tragically negate this truth in our lives, but God cannot be fooled. He alone will receive the glory, and He will make sure He gets the glory. Journey with me to Judges 7 where we meet Gideon and his army about to encounter the Midians. Of course shortly before this the Lord tells Gideon that He is going to save Israel through Gideon. Gideon, unsure and unsettled, lays out the fleece and asks the impossible. Of course, God shows up and does His mighty and miraculous work. Gideon now has the boldness and courage to know that he is truly following the voice of the Lord. They then begin dwindling down the army of Gideon for it is much too big. Did you just catch that? They were going into battle and needed to minimize the number of troops going in. Why? So that all would see and know that it was Almighty God who won the battle! Of course in the end, Yahweh through Gideon and his 300 men defeated the enemy and they were oppressed no more!

I guess one could say it was "rigged" so that in human terms, there would be no way that they could win. But with God on their side, they had the victory. God is longing for a people that will cry out to Him and ascribe the glory that is due His name, to proclaim aloud the splendor of who He is. Perhaps this is why it says that if we fail to cry out, the rocks will. We get so caught up in ourselves and puffed up with pride that it robs the glory due His name. We try to cheat the Lord out of the picture, only dreaming half-hearted dreams and doing the things we are already comfortable with and/or good at. When the enemy comes and encamps upon our lives, we scurry and hide or just surrender, settling instead for his deceptive lies.

Oh, how I long to live a life in desperation for the power and presence of omnipotent God. To live in such a way that if God doesn't show up, I am in trouble. To step out and follow His leading, even if it is to somewhere I have never been. When will the church arise and dare to dream big dreams? When will we go and take back, with Godly courage, those things with which the enemy has taken from us? When is it we will go and crush his head, and stand up against his lies? If God be for us, who can be against us? If what we say and pray and sing about our great God is true, we live contradicting lives.

Only if and when we choose to live lives of such radical desperation for the presence of God, will He come in with His radiant splendor and majestic glory and deliver His people! When we begin to humble ourselves and reflect on who He is, we will be blown away by the awesomeness and hugeness of who He is. We can crowd Him out, we can steal the show. But a life lived without God is no life at all. God is not longing to be a part of our precious little puppet shows in which we assign Him a part and give Him His lines. He is yearning and burning to make Himself known, to be glorified and exalted!

To You alone King Jesus, be all glory and honor and praise! You are worthy of so much more than we could ever say about you or give to you. Our human language fails to even begin to adequately ascribe the greatness that is due Your name. We are nothing without You, such wretched, sinful little mortals. We constantly gratify the sinful desires of our flesh, putting You into a box for a rainy day. But oh great and glorious God, forgive us for such tragedies! Oh how we long for You, how we need You! Only a God like You can deliver Your people. Only a God like You can give victories and heal us and give us eternal life! Would you give us the courage of Gideon and teach us to trust You entirely? We desire for You to be exalted in all the earth King Jesus! Be exalted in our lives! We lift up Your name! King of glory, have Your glory!

Prayers That Penetrate

2010-03-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

I was reading something recently that has stirred something within my spirit. Prayer: It's a concept that most of us use on a daily basis, remembering to say "grace" before each meal and maybe talking to God a few minutes before bed, perhaps we're even daring enough to seek the Lord in the midst of a crisis. But I have read something recently that has led me to ask a very important question: What kind of prayers do I pray?

Before continuing on, you will need to read Numbers 27:1-11. Yes there are many big names here in this passage, and this may be one of those "breezers" that we rush on through, thinking it has no pertinent significance to our time. But I would beg to differ. While I am no Biblical scholar, it is my understanding that when the patriarch of the family died, the blessing and inheritance would be passed to the sons. So here we have 3 sisters who beseech their great leader, pointing out that this tradition is seemingly biased. So Moses, being the great man of God and leader that he was, goes and seeks the Lord about the matter.

What we have next is a beautiful picture of intercession as Moses begins to plead their case before the Lord. And then it happens. In verse 6 we see that the Lord agreed with the daughters and told Moses to change the laws. Did you just catch that? The courage those women possessed to go before Moses and ask that a tradition/law be changed is just outstanding. But with boldness and confidence they presented their request. But there is something that happens when we take those things before the Lord.

Moses pleaded their case with the Lord, and his prayers shifted something within the spiritual realm. I don't know what would have happened had these 3 sisters not been so bold in their approach. And had Moses not stood in the gap, would things have changed? This raises several important questions for me as I read this and chew upon it.

We live in a time in which we must pray dangerous prayers. We don't have time to waste with our self-centered wish lists before the Lord! We must not pray according to our faith or lack thereof, it would be a tragedy to pray according to how we feel. But we must pray with a tenacity that is unreleasing, praying according to the character of who God Almighty is! Do our prayers line up with the Word of God? Do they carry the same heartbeat as our Maker? Do the prayers we pray shift things in the spiritual realm? Oh Holy Spirit, that you would teach us how to pray...

"The Crossing"

2010-02-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

We be praying to our God, asking for deliverance...
To be freed from all of the things that have so easily entangled us.
He faithfully leads us through the stormy waters...
As we learn to fully trust Him as our Abba Father.
Fearful we start to look to the left and to the right...
Not seeing Jesus now, we have lost our sight.
We dare not look behind at the enemies that pursue us...
For if we do our faith will shrink, becoming less and less.
Teach me to be still and follow only You...
I cannot and will not quit, until this Red Sea...You have brought me through.

Glory in Intercession

2010-01-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

There was something that I read recently that has penetrated my heart and shifted something within me. We speak of the glory of God and how it fills the earth and we long to know His glory. We talk it, preach it, sing it, we yearn for it. The splendor and majesty of God Almighty we will never fully fathom until heaven one day. I think sometimes we tend to think that the glory of God is like a freebie at some garage sale, "while supplies last." Oh how we have belittled the omnipotent and sovereign God of the universe to fit into our little boxes. So then the question at hand is this: Where can one encounter the glory of God? While I propose that I know much of anything, I would like to turn our attention to perhaps a familiar passage of Scripture:

And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." Exodus 33:21-23

Wow! Can you imagine?! Like God just totally told Moses that He would allow him to see as much of Him as possible, but that He would protect him too. Could you imagine God's huge hand covering you? The very thought overwhelms me. What is even more significant to me if you begin reading in verse 12 of this same chapter, Moses is actually interceding for the people of God who have sinned yet again. Moses is pleading and reminding God that they too are His people. As always is the case with our Faithful Father, He keeps His word and says He will do the very thing being pleaded for (vs. 17).

There is glory in intercession beloved! Of course that is not the reason we plead our case before God. We go to Him in the darkest of valleys and in the midst of our fiercest giants and we stand in the gap and wage war with our prayers. We don't pray according to our state of mind or faith, or lack thereof. But we tenaciously pray according to the character of God Almighty. And our prayers and intercession begin to line up with His will as the Spirit intercedes for us and teaches us how to pray. It is in these trenches that I believe God's glory is found.

Too often we want to pray a 1 minute prayer and see the results we're looking for and gaze into His eyes of fire as an added bonus. Oh saints how we have lost the art of intercession and true communion with the Father. No war is fought and resolved in 1 day. Moses had already been given the 10 Commandments on the 2 stones after time with holy God on the mountain. When he came down and saw that the people had sinned greatly and worshipped this golden calf that came out of the fire, his fury raged and he threw the tablets to the ground, crushing them to pieces.

Perhaps just when Moses thought he was on a breakthrough, things turned for the worse. Maybe just when you thought your prayers had been answered, things turned out to be otherwise. Moses persisted and climbed that mountain again, and he interceded. Not only were his prayers heard and answered, but the glory of God was made known in a very real way to Moses that day. Moses was in the trenches of intercession yet again, but in those trenches was the mighty hand of God moving to cover, protect, save, and deliver.

There is something that shifts in the spiritual realm when we dig down deep into the trenches of intercession and plead our case before a just and sovereign God and remind Him of His promises. It is no longer a matter of the giant at the top of the hill taunting you, or the enemy who surrounds you on every side, but a matter of God's mighty hand resting above you and doing the very things that only our omnipotent God can do! Oh saints, there is glory in intercession. May you climb the mountain yet again to drink deeply and wage war...

Life is Crazy but Life is Good

2009-12-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

I have a beautiful family (dad, momma, 3 siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on)! I have an exceptional spiritually family! Then I have a God! There is no earthly words to describe Him.

So I have a good life but it's slightly crazy.

Right after this past Thanksgiving is when I really began thinking about this. During that time my cousin from Michigan came to visit. She and I are VERY different. From the very first day she got there we ran from place to place everyday. Between Nutcracker, House of Faith, Christmas at Old Fort Concho, and our many church services I, as well as the rest of my family, had little time for sit down ministry with my cousin. I began to notice how crazy and unexpected the life I live is. Then I realized that God did some pretty crazy and unexpected things too: saving only 8 people from a world-wide flood, speaking through a donkey, burning up not only an offering but the whole alter, stirring a virgins womb, sending flames of fire to hover over peoples' heads. HE created things to be like that.

After my cousin left, we had about a week or so of somewhat normal life (I'm not sure if thats even a possibility any more) when out of the blue a teenager and her baby end up living in our house. Wow, God, ok, so what now? I love them, really, alot, but that was so unexpected! Now my mind ponders this a little deeper. If everything God did was expected what would make HIM so great. Just a rough guess now, but probably 90% of the time, we as humans, are totally not unexpected. You usually guess what your best friend is about to say next. Or what our mom will say when you ask her if you can do something right after you got in trouble.

The point is I believe God blessed me with a crazy and unexpected life. Without it, life would be utterly boring! I love the life I live because it is a gift. I'm not promised another day, another hour, another breath, but there's God watching over me ready to give me a big bear hug when the craziness feels like too much for my flesh.

God you are so good. Thank you for the crazy life. It's the color in my black and white picture.

Jesus Mighty Jesus!

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2009-12-23T15:51:00.001-08:00

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Come!

2009-12-17T14:53:00.000-08:00

Bells are ringing and hearts are singing, but the spirit yearns for more. Gifts are wrapped and trees are trimmed, but the soul is not satisfied. There is a longing that resonates beyond words deep within the reservoir of every human alive. It's a call unlike any other, for it's a commission from the highest ranking official ever, King Jesus. Can you hear it? The voice that sounds like many rushing waters is speaking your name. He calls out to you in the midst of the chaos and invites you to come. Do you hear Him?

Come and rest, all ye who are weary and heavy-laden. Come and drink deeply all ye who are thirsty. Come and eat all ye who hunger. Come and sit at the sweet feet that once bore the spikes pierced by love. Come and gaze upon the eyes of fire that never shut or grow dim or weary. Come away with me my beloved. Can you hear Him? Oh we sing of that call, we long for that kind of commissioning; "Oh come let us adore Him, come and worship Christ the King." Do you hear Him? Thus the beauty of Christmas unfolds before our flesh-laden eyes. And He tenderly speaks ever so loudly with a simple request: Come and just be.

When we cease to stop doing and simply be, worship overtakes our being. Absolute royalty, King Jesus, choosing to be born amidst the stench of a stable: May our praises rise as a fragrant love offering before you today O Lord. The pure and spotless One, slaughtered like a lamb for my sin, on a cross that bore no dignity or respect: May we lay down everything and not waste one precious drop of your blood Jesus. And the One who was beaten beyond recognition laid to rest in a tomb, risen and reigning victoriously over all the earth: May your glory King Jesus fill the earth like the waters fill the seas! Have your glory King of glory!

There is no other call I'd rather answer. Come away my beloved. Oh come let us adore Him. Let us worship Christ the King. Do you hear Him? Silence yourselves. Be still and know that He is God. He still calls. His love beckons us deeply. He still speaks. Do you hear Him? May the deepest yearnings of your heart be consumed by the presence of the One who invites you to come...

Emmanuel

2009-12-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas: It is here and permeates the most mundane of life's activities. The lights are hung, the tree is trimmed, and the hustle and bustle of it all has not slowed. The carols are harmonically sung throughout the crisp air of the wintery season, and the hearts of people are warmed as they give and share both love and life with one another. Emmanuel, God with us. One of the many names of glorious God, quoted throughout Scripture and seemingly a favorite term for this time of year.

God with us. Stop for a moment and let that sink in and really penetrate to the depths of your being. Oh sure I imagine it brings comfort to so many whose hearts are at their loneliest seasons of the human soul. What peace it must bring to the one who oft feels abandoned and left to face life's giants alone. But there is another side to this that I have never chewed on before, and I must say it is bringing a bit of a spiritual self-gagging reflex reaction.

The carnal nature of my flesh is so quick to rush foolishly into the depths of sin and without second thought. My spirit beckons to pause and stare into the fiery eyes of a holy and almighty God, but my flesh reigns supreme. I proceed without caution and do the very thing that nailed Jesus to the cross. Like a dog that returns to its own vomit and like the pig that rolls in the muck and mire, I allow my flesh to dominate and dance in it's evil desires. Moments later, my cold heart stops. I feel naked before the One, running in an attempt to go hide.

There is a little phase that most children go through, I can still remember this time of my life as a child. It's time for bed and it's been a fun day and exhausting all in one. Your body is ready for rest, your flesh fights it. So choosing to honor your parents and do what you know is best, you slowly stumble to bed. But in tow is your blanky, favorite teddy bear, that special dolly that you must have, and maybe even a good book just in case. And oh of course, don't forget that extra little action figure you slipped in your pocket. You crawl into bed and tuck in each one of your friends, then cover up yourself as you lay with all of your precious belongings. It's great for a moment, until you realize that there is no room. The extra toys have lost their fun and special purposes because they are crowding you out of your bed. So you decide to just keep 1 or 2 and carelessly toss the others aside.

And so I find myself in the grown-up version of this old classic. My spirit yearns for the sweet and all-consuming fire of Jesus, yet my flesh refuses to release these sinful desires. So I try to do the impossible. I drag my feet to the One who knows all and is all, with my selfish desires in tow, my secret sin in my pocket, and all of these other eartly desires that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. I am learning that it is not possible to pursue the presence of holy God while at the same time entertain the pleasures of sin. It must be one or the other, it simply cannot be both. God is holy and can have nothing to do with sin. While I know this to be true and have known this, I sit and reflect as to how I came to this place of compromise.

Emmanuel, God with us. It is quite difficult to commit that sin when you know and believe to be true that Jesus is right there with you. Like the fork that scratches against the dinner plate is the cringe I feel when I realize I have just sinned intentionally against the holy One. And I realize that my world of sin and complacency cannot coexist with the kingdom of God. So I begin to toss these things aside, treating it as the wretched sin and rubbish that it is. While we are all sinners in need of God and His grace and forgiveness, it doesn't have to be like this.

God commands us to be holy because He is holy. I cannot embrace the One and all He has if I insist on keeping my hands full of junk. I cannot receive what He desires to give me if I simply keep my arms folded in indifference to sin. I cannot go where He leads if I choose to stay dancing in the mud. I cannot hear what He is saying if I plug my ears up because His voice brings conviction. I cannot go on sinning without second thought and repentance if I truly understand Emmanuel, God with us.

May Emmanuel invade your space and permeate the very core of your hearts this holy-day season...

Shades of Grey...

2009-11-25T00:44:00.000-08:00

One of the most raw things one can do as a created being is to be completely real, absurdly honest. To just expose the truth with no superficial layers, eliminating the sugarcoating that we have become so immune to applying. Something happens when you are honest, and I mean honest to the deepest part of who you are. There is a danger there in that place that can sting like the raw flesh of an open wound. The vulnerability that one feels can be so real that it makes you want to go and sew some fig leaves together to cover it all up. But there's also a deep beauty in this place, a fountain of freedom that flows from the innermost part. There is a big chunk of this picturesque place that we seem to miss all of the time. The truth is that we may try and hide from ourselves, but we can never hide from God Almighty. He knew that Adam and Eve were naked before they even hid. But it wasn't so much a matter of their physical being as much as it was their heart. When you blatantly sin against God the Father, you run and hide. But our sin and absolute disobedience does not prevent Him from walking in the cool of the day seeking fellowship with the very ones whom He created in His own image. Is hide and seek really possible with the One who knows all? So it is here in these next few moments that I will dare to enter into that place that makes me squirm with conviction and ushers me to my knees in repentance before a holy God...

Grey. It's just an choice in the Crayola box, perhaps an option in your wardrobe. It's the color of the sky on a rainy day, perhaps an artistic shade of emotion after a unseemingly joyful day. I have a question that has been burning within me the last few weeks, and I can't seem to shake it. What happens when grey enters our lives as followers of Jesus Christ, when grey becomes a normalacy within the walls of the church? I know one thing to be true; grey will never usher in revival. Grey will never accompany true intimacy with a holy God. Grey will never expedite the setting apart of Christians as we are commanded in Scripture to be. Grey will never loose the chains of the drug addict or release the chains of those in bondage. Grey is like a cancer of the church, slowly deteriorating one member at a time until it leads to an absolute death of epidemic proportions.

Any child would be able to tell you that grey can be made when combining black and white. Black represents the very things of the world and the sin that so easily entangles it, the very things that we are to hate. Please notice I said things and not people. White represents the truth, the pure things of the Lord, the things that we are told to think upon. We welcome grey into our theological circles of religious snobs when we combine the two, when we take the secular things of the world and try to christianize them. For instance, some might say that it is not wrong to drink, but we should never get drunk. Is that true? What in alcolhol represents Jesus Christ? Does it usher us into the presence of the holy One? This is just one minor example, and there are countless others.

With regards to living life as a follower of Jesus, it is either black or white. There is no grey, grey is not an option for the one who is radically commited to Jesus. God even says that He would rather people be either hot or cold, for lukewarm ones will be spit out of His mouth. It's interesting how He gives cold as an option and not lukewarm. It's interesting how black is an option, not grey. Is it me or have we created our own little universe with our precious little rules and adaptations? Are we not just the dust of the earth? Have we entertained some sort of role reversal in our fantasy land with God? For me, the truth is yes. I have allowed the grey to seep beyond the Crayola box and into my heart.

I have not met the cross and the pure and spotless Jesus on that cross face to face. I have no idea what grace truly is, I will never understand the absolute ugly beauty of the cross. Jesus Christ was slaughtered like a lamb on my behalf. He was beaten beyond recognition for my sins. He endured the worst possible punishment even though He had never commited one wrong, not one. He was obedient to death and death upon a cross to save my soul from an eternal habitation in hell. Oh whether or not I ever really get this does not change the magnitude of that sacrifice. Jesus would have still followed through even if everyone rejected Him forever.

But rather than eternally embracing the cross and allowing it's splinters to pierce my hardened heart, I have chosen to momentarily embrace this thing called grace and foolishly put it in the garage sale pile. Oh you know what that pile is like: It was once something used and of value and maybe even of great treasure, but it's been used up and tossed out and maybe someone else can use it and pay for it. Grace can never be cheapened, but we can live in such a way that makes this a very frightening reality. Our complacency propels us into a downward spiral of spiritual degrading. Our making room for mediocrity causes the mouth of God to want to vomit. Our spiritualizing the things of the world welcomes grey like a long lost friend.

I long for the day when I can look back at who I used to be and be sick to my stomach. I cry out for the day when the church will rise up and be who it was created to be. I dream of the day in which the church of Acts is not just something to read about, but is a reality lived out. I yearn for the day in which complacency and mediocrity make me sick. I wonder what the world would look like if Christians truly were set apart in every way. I wonder how it must shatter the heart of the Father when we treat our life with Him as something to do rather than someone to be. I wonder if God really knew what He was saying when He commanded us to be holy. Better yet, I wonder if we really knew who was speaking and were really listening when He said, "Be holy because I am holy."
I think Adam and Eve were a bit caught off guard that day in the garden. Maybe there were some akward moments of what to do and what to say. I'm finding myself in that place too. I don't think there is much one can say other than: "You were right and I was wrong." But to admit that would mean a removal of the grey, that thing that we worked so hard to create and justify. Jesus may I not waste one more drop of your precious blood on my little snippets of grey. Oh that I would see the cross and the sacrifice for what it really was. I want to see my sin as what it is, the very spikes that were driven into your wrists. Forgive me oh holy God, for dragging my grey with me to the cross that was covered in red for all of my black that you command to be white...in Jesus name, Amen.

Thirsty...

2009-11-21T11:28:00.001-08:00

As always seems to be the case, I have been chewing on something recently; John 4. I’m sure you know the story. Jesus and the disciples have been traveling and they come to the city of Sychar. Jesus, tired from the journey, slumps down against the well for a rest while the disciples go into town to gather some food. A Samaritan woman, busy I’m sure at the noon hour of the day, comes to draw water, a seemingly everyday task for her. As she comes near, Jesus asks her for a drink. Caught off guard the woman reminds Jesus that He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan, so she questions His asking for a drink. Jesus then goes on to tell her that if she knew who He really was she would ask for the living water. She looks, doesn’t see any well-drawing equipment that He has with, and asks how it is He is going to get this living water since the well is deep and He has nothing with which to draw. Jesus then continues in His poetic picture and speaks boldly that those who drink of well water will thirst again but those who drink of the living water will never thirst and will in fact have a living spring that erupts into salvation. Intrigued and convinced, the woman asks for this living water so she won’t have to keep coming and drawing this well water. A bold confrontation is then made as Jesus tells her to bring her husband and come back. She admits she does not have a husband. And then Jesus follows up with her relational status of having had 5 husbands but the man she was with at the moment was not her husband. She perceives He is a prophet, but then begins to speak of the Messiah Jesus Christ who is coming and will explain all things. And then Jesus says one statement that changes everything: “I who speak to you am he.”

I’m finding myself in the shoes of the woman, perhaps I should say sandals. I’m finding myself in the middle of mundane life events, most of which I like but some which I loathe. And I find myself being asked things with which I cannot comply, either based out of lack of faith, disobedience, or just personal comfort zones. I begin to squirm uncomfortably in my chair as I face this resistance between a higher calling and a lower level of reality as I live. I ask what a holy God would want with a wretched sinner such as I. And then He speaks, the One. He persists with a fiery passion that I’ve never known before. I am looking for one thing, He offers another. I then cave in desperation thinking that I just might be aligned with this One and His offer. Again, I missed the point. It’s not a matter of water, it’s a matter of life. I sheepishly grin as I step back and am reminded of how little I actually know. He stares into the depths of my being with His eyes that burn like fire, and begins to outline the details of my life, the dark and ugly ones that nobody is supposed to know. And then in that little soft part of my heart that has not been hardened by the muck and mire of the world, I begin to think that He is someone. Oh yes, I know of the Messiah that is coming and knows all. And then I am stopped. He says one thing that radically shifts something within my broken being: “I who speak to you am He.”

Of course we know the rest of the story. The woman goes back to town sharing the divine encounter she has had at the well and the people of the town come back to the well with her to see who this One is. They find the One who sits against the well is the Messiah, the One who knows all and supersedes all. They urge Him to stay with them and so He stays 2 days and many come to salvation in that city. The living water had indeed been poured out over many souls that day, and it all started with a request for a cup of water.

There is something about a life completely surrendered to the Messiah that brings about great change. There’s something so freeing about letting go of what you so tightly grip in exchange for what the Messiah wants to give you. There is something so humbling about staring into the very face of the One who knows the deepest and darkest things about you. There is something so crazy about the call of grace that beckons more loudly over the voice of the enemy who thinks he has defeated you. There is something so refreshing about this living water that washes over every broken soul and cleanses it, even though I am undeserving. There is something so marvelous about waiting for the One you have longed for, only to realize He is the One with which you speak.

Oh that I would yield and surrender myself to this One. The simplicity of just receiving all that He is and all the He offers. Who am I to think that what I have is better? This is Jesus the Messiah, the One who meets us where we are. The only One who can offer salvation and the living water, the only One whose blood covers all and overcomes all. Jesus forgive me for arguing with you at my well. I am so foolish and stubborn that your persistent beckoning and radical grace I will never comprehend. Holy Spirit help me to just yield. I long for all of you, let me see you right in front of me. This is reality. I don’t want to keep coming here trying to draw this water. You truly are all that I need and desire. Thank you for meeting me right where I am, but loving me enough to leave me in this place…

Confessional Cupcakes

2009-11-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

I sat here and watched as my friend ate a moist cupcake with a mound of red frosting on top, I found myself salivating and having this intense craving for one. I kept working on the task at hand and tried to ignore him, but I just couldn't. He finally asked me what I was doing, and I was like "Your cupcake looks amazing!" To which he then said a simple sentence in reply that shifted something for me. He said, "The cupcake probably wouldn't look so amazing if you were able to eat it."

I began to think of brothers and sisters in other countries that I have had the honor of meeting along the way. In many parts of the world it is illegal to even own a Bible or to pray in public, and you can forget about a true worship service with the glory of God occurring! It is dangerous and illegal to totally love Jesus and live for Him, and yet there are thousands of martyrs out there. These brothers and sisters of ours have some of the most genunie faith and intense passion for Jesus that I have ever known, yet they can't really have Him like we can here in America. Of course Jesus transcends all and there is nothing and nobody that can stop Him, but doing so puts their lives at risk. Now stick with me here, this is where the cupcake begins to crumble.

I began to think of my own life and how I am with the Lord. I have freedom as an American to worship Jesus and pray in public and carry a Bible and all of these other things; most of which people in other countries cannot do. Sometimes I find myself dragging my feet to enter the presence of the Lord and it seems to be a chore to just get in the Word. I guess it seems all too often that the things with which we cannot have seem to carry more value in some way. But then when we do have those things, they somehow become monotonous, routine, and even normal.

My heart began to feel troubled within me as I reflected on this. The truth is this: Nothing and nobody can alter the character of Jesus Christ. He is of infinite value and worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. After all, Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday and that He will be tomorrow. Perhaps it would do me some good if I had an attitude shift, a change of heart. I wonder how I would live if I were in a closed country opposed to Christianity?

I read passages in the Bible like in Revelations 1:14-16 that say: "The hairs of his head were white, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength." This same Jesus desires to be with me, to commune with me, to delight in the praises of my lips and the worship of my heart. And I step back and reflect and realize that something is so wrong.

The cupcake confessional: I am a jerk to Jesus. The sweet truth: Jesus paid the ultimate price for my sin, all of my sin. Oh that this sleeping giant within me would arise and awaken! Oh that I would see Jesus for who He really is, awesome! What was initially said of the cupcake may be true when it comes to finite things like cupcakes. But when it comes to infinite Jesus in all of His brilliant splendor and radiant glory, while my life may reflect that as being true, it simply is not. Forgive me Jesus for treating you like a cupcake when instead I should have loved and worshipped you as King Jesus. I truly am amazed by you and love you...

So Bright

2009-10-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

I can't open my eyes because your presence is so bright.
I'm not worthy to come near,
So I will be content to hear;
To listen to your voice as you sing over me.

You beckon to my heart,
You say to let go; to let you in.
You say that you want to open my eyes to your brightness as you heal
those fractured places and shattered faces in my soul.

I choose instead to hesitate and procrastinate until I miss your call...

I push and pull and rant and run away,
Until I feel as if I can't come to you any more.

Then I'm left standing still...

I can't open my eyes because your presence is so bright.
I'm not worthy to come near,
So I will be content to hear;
To listen to your voice as you sing over me.

So now I'm right back at the start,
at the place where you beckon to my heart.

Maybe this time I'll make the right choice.

No more broken cycles.
No more games.
Just You.

Just You.

~From one who is blind~

To Frolic or To Fight?

2009-10-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Several conversations had taken place within the last few days of my life. Conversations about being "too radical" so as to offend others and discussions about loving others rather than calling them and exhorting one another, in love, to living a life of holiness. I found my heart aching within me as to the gray dismay that we as followers of God Almighty find ourselves in.

I began to chew on these thoughts later and found myself amazed at where we have gone as a people. Everyone wants to talk about love this and love that. It's all too comfortable to sit around a Bible study with our cups of coffee and our complacent slippers on as we talk about the love the Father has for us. I have yet to walk into a study where we are discussing the pure holiness of God and just how much we fall short. That's real talk, that's raw. I don't want to just feel the hug of God and skip along, I want to feel His fire and burn.

Please don't get me wrong. The love that the Father has for us is something that is life altering. I remember several months ago one night when I was at prayer and a song came on talking about God the Father and how He loves us. And for the first time in 28 years, it penetrated my heart. I believed it to be true, and that was something so new and refreshing to me. I remember just crying with joy at the thought. I'll never forget that night, and I long to go back to that place again. It is crucial and good to celebrate the love of God and to share that with others. By all means, Jesus told us the greatest commandment was to love Him first and with everything, but that the second was like it: Love others. We must walk and live in love. But I am afraid we have crossed a line, and we must get back.

Too many people want to frolic around in the love of God, but you never hear of people getting excited or enthralled with running hard after holiness. I've been thinking about this holiness thing lately. God doesn't give us an option. It's a command, He says: "Be holy because I am holy." (Leviticus 19:2) I was talking with someone and we were talking about this idea of love versus holiness. A wise person once said, I care about our friendship but I love you more to be honest. Amen and amen! How refreshing it is! Iron sharpens iron! I don't want a hug, I don't want a pat on the back. I don't want to be a part of cuddley Christianity. What I do want is to strive for holiness in every area of my life, and I want people to call me on that. There is nothing self-righteous or "holier than thou" about any of this. But you see, for those merely living to frolic in this "love thing", it does feel uncomfortable. Because here's the deal: I'm not judging you. Who am I? Just a broken sinner in need of God's grace like you! But what you feel is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Don't pin that on me. The Scriptures talk all the time of people who have hardened their hearts and not heard the voice of the Lord. We've all been there; the truth is, sometimes we just don't want to hear what He has to say.

This business of complacency and mediocrity within the church today must get shut down. We must get to that place where we have a Ztp (Zero Tolerance Policy) with regards to these things. God is not looking to raise up another choir, He is raising up an army. The church doesn't need another basket of cookies in the name of love, we need a burning of fire in the name of holiness. When things burn, the impurities rise to the top. The less of us there is, the more of Jesus there is. Everyone wants the hug, nobody wants the burn.

I have looked at my life and asked what has shaped me and changed me in so many ways. While that night of revelation of God's love for me was huge, it didn't change me. But when I looked into the eyes of fire and read in the Word who Jesus was, and still is, and then I look in the mirror, I am horrified by my own falling short and say God Almighty have mercy upon my filthy soul. Come and burn me up. Come consume me. And then when I yield myself to Him and to the sharpening, oh how things begin to change.

Soldiers in an army don't just kick back and relax at the injustice around them. A fighter doesn't quit after taking one and getting knocked down. A warrior doesn't go into battle half-hearted. Oh that the church would rise up and be what the church was intended to be! Oh that the people of God would run after holiness like we do our own selfish goals and desires! Oh that the warriors of God's army would dare to fight for holiness for once! I don't want to just sit in my armor, enlisted and not moving, loved but not living! Today I choose to fight, after all, King Jesus is a mighty warrior! Come and burn me up oh God, consume me with your fire!

Surrendering Everything?

2009-10-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

So many times I've said the words, "I can't live without you," or "what would I do without you?" For me that's a reality right now. I began to think and still am thinking about this: What if God asked me too give everything up just to be in His presence? I mean EVERYTHING. It would become a reality to live without something. I think about times I've said stuff to my friends about "not living without them" that would be all turned around. A few weeks ago it was painful for me to be in tears and trying to get ahold of my spiritual mom and she wasn't answering her phone. It's like depending on no one but GOD! There are so many people and things that I love. My family, my *twin*, my spiritual family, my friends, my HOF kiddos, pretty much everyone I know, and then my phone, my drivers permit, my movies, my computer, my bed, my whole room, and my books (which out of all of these I love the most). Some people are called to a lifetime of surrendering all these things and more. Even if it was only for a season that I gave up everything, I still don't know if I could do it! When I was in prayer about it this scripture to my mind:

"Search me, oh God, and know my heart..." Psalm 139:23a

I want to be at that place of surrendering everything. Since I'm not there yet, God, search me, what is hindering me from being at that place? With all these things that mean so much to me, without God they would be impossible, unthinkable, unfathomable, well you get the point. Anyways I long and truly desire to live a life completely all about God. He is my ALL. I can't live apart from Him.

There's one last thing that I need to mention:

I don't want anyone to think that I believe that God would want me to surrender my friends!! I 100% believe that God gave them to me but sometimes I depend on them more than I do God. I know for a fact that I need to surround myself with God-fearing people so that they can keep me accountable and I can do the same for them. Without them I would be lost. It was, in fact, because a friend prayed for me that I am where I am now! Thank you Jesus for my friends but I pray that I will depend on you to meet my needs more than I do on my friends!

-Jesus Mighty Jesus

Dropping Stones

2009-10-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

It was a typical morning for me as I scrambled to get my hair combed as the clock kept ticking. As is always my routine, I listen to the radio every morning as I get ready. It’s pretty much the only consistent time I hear of what’s going on in the world around me. They were playing some incredible worship music that was just pointing me back to Jesus in all things and I found myself feeling ready for the day. They then had the normal news brief interruption and I was appalled at what I heard this morning. President Obama gave a speech this past weekend to those fighting for gay rights etc. Whilst I usually do not mention anything political, this one just burned too deeply on my heart to let go. The statement made was this:
“You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.”

-President Barack Obama

(Read more at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/11/obamas-speech-text-transc_n_316844.html)
I just couldn’t believe it. I mean here is a guy who just received the Nobel Peace Prize the day before, largely in part due to his urgency in trying to eliminate nuclear weapons. I think that is an effort to be commended and I am thankful for a President that won’t sit back and let things go by. But what about this nonsense of gay marriages? Are they not in and of themselves nuclear-like in that they destroy families? Is it not so tragic that so many people find their identities in other things than in God? I found myself in a rush of emotions and questions and ready to knock someone’s block off this morning as I heard this. I was thinking to myself: “Since when it is admirable to go against anything that God opposes? After all, this nation was founded under God.” Not only that, but God created marriage as pure and holy, one man and one woman. I was forming my theological argument in my mind and then things began to change in those brief moments as I slipped on my tennis shoes.
I began to feel the nudging of the Lord and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I was quickly reminded of every time that I choose to sin, I am opposing the Lord. My filthy sin that appears to be so lusterous and alluring to me is seemingly more “admirable” to me than following and obeying God. My heart began to ache at the intensity of the rawness that my heart was feeling as I began to feel exposed with my own filth before God Almighty.
I was reminded of the pure holiness of God and His command to His people to be holy. I was reminded of my own shortcoming. I thought about my own list of admirables in life and I’m not so sure that obeying God fills my #1 slot right now. As I look at our nation with the mass slaughtering of babies daily and the fight for “gay rights”, I am urged all the more into the presence of God. I was reminded of a verse I read recently: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31

May God have mercy on this nation, a nation that has turned its back on Him. May the blood of Jesus no longer be foolishly wasted on the muck and mire of our lives. May the mighty warriors of God rise up and begin to seek the face of God on behalf of this nation. “For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 Will you pray like you believe this to be true? Where are the warriors of God’s army at? Wake up oh sleeping church!

“But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38
We may still disagree and perhaps rightfully so, but who am I to cast the first stone?

Dropping my stone…Tara

Burning Ones

2009-10-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have been chewing on a little something recently that I had heard awhile ago. I don't know about you, but there are lots of things that stick out to me when I read the Scriptures. One of my favorite passages of Scripture has always been Hebrews 11, otherwise known as the Hall of Faith. It's like you read about these heroes of the faith who did incredible things for the Lord and their faith in Almighty God was just so huge! I find myself feeling small and insignificant when I read these true accounts, and yet also inspired at what the Lord can do with just a little faith.

I heard something really interesting about this that I had never heard of or thought of before. These great saints of the Bible were really not any different than you or I. They dealt with temptations like we do, they had struggles too. There were things that came up against them that could have rocked their faith, and perhaps it did. And yet there was something so incredibly different. When I look at their pages of history versus my own, I see something so different. By faith, they conquered kingdoms and shut the mouths of lions. By faith, I made it through another day and did 1 little thing that the Lord asked me to do. So where does the difference come in I wonder?

It's time to get raw and honest. You see, the difference lies within us as individuals. According to Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It's not like the saints in the Bible had anything more than we did. Sure, they had Jesus in the flesh. But we also have the Holy Spirit with us today. So what is it that makes the difference? I believe it's a basic question of lifestyle and choice: You see, it's a matter of getting into the fiery presence of God. That is the only thing that changes us. Paying lip service to the King amounts to nothing more than a vocal exercise. Reading the pages of Scripture is seemingly a mere discipline. Going to church is a great thing to do. These are all in and of themselves good things, but it's not the main thing.

The main thing is encountering the presence of the living God. Deuteronomy 4:24 says that God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. It's interesting to note that any time any person has encountered the presence of God, their lives are forever changed. When Moses came down off the mountain, his face shone. When Zaccheus climbed a tree just to physically see this Jesus guy, he came back a day later paying everyone 4 x's what he had stolen. When the bleeding woman touched the mere hem of Jesus' cloak, she was made whole. The saints had a choice just like we do, and they chose it. They went after the presence and glory of God like their lives depended on it.

You see, when you get into the fiery presence of God, everything changes. Hearts are softened, idols come crashing down, sin and chaff are burned up and burned away. And the presence and power and glory of God so infiltrates our lives that it can never be the same. But He will not just hand out His power and His glory like freebies at a garage sale. God doesn't move, we do. God doesn't change, we do. God doesn't limit His people, we limit our God.

So the choice remains. It is my belief that the more you encounter His presence and power, the more His glory is made known and things are so changed. If you just go after God on Sunday mornings and give Him 2 hours of your week, then sure, your faith may not amount to anything more than choosing to be obedient or making it through the tough day. But if you want God bad enough, you are going to go after Him in full force and and with full vigor.

I've heard people say it's sacrifice to go after Him. But is it really? Do we ever really sacrifice anything for God? Sure, we may call it a sacrifice. But once again, we're talking about an Almighty God of fire who sacrificed His one and only Son on our sinful wretched behalf. I don't want to call giving up a tv show to spend time with Him a "sacrifice." How ridiculous would that be.

Forgive me oh God for treasuring the junk of my life and the rubbish of this world over you. Forgive me oh Lord for going after my own goals and objectives with more diligence and persistence than your presence. I'm sorry Jesus for just expecting you to pour out your glory like it's nothing. Oh God, may I not rest or settle for less when it comes to you and the power of your presence. May you wake up this sleeping child of yours once again...in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Dominion and Glory

2009-09-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Casey Doss preached recently that the book of Revelation makes clear that God has given believers a two-fold assignment on the earth. We are called to be kings and priests. Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus “has made us kings and priests to His God and Father . . . .” This is echoed again in Rev. 5:9, 10: “For You were slain . . . and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Jesus not only washed away our sin and rescued us from hell, but also gave us purpose here on the earth. That purpose is to release both dominion and glory. Kings exercise dominion, and priests release glory. We are both in Christ Jesus.
Understanding this assignment should produce questions in us. It should lead us to ask how we are to release dominion. What exactly does releasing dominion mean? Rev. 1:6 explains not only that we are kings, but also how to fulfill that assignment: “[Jesus] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” The verse begins by saying that we are kings, those called to exercise dominion. However, it then says to give dominion to God. This contrast helps us to understand that the only way we can ever exercise dominion is by giving God complete dominion. The only way God can ever exercise His authority through us is if He has already exercised His authority in us.
Matthew 8:5-10 emphasizes this principle of dominion. When speaking with Jesus, the centurion says, “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” The entire reason this centurion is able to tell his soldiers what to do and exercise dominion over them is because he is “a man under authority.” The centurion is able to say, “Go, come, and do this,” because he responds when he is told, “Go, come, and do this.” If we want our words to carry authority and shake the powers of hell, then we must let God’s word carry authority in our lives and shake us. We can only exercise dominion when we give Him dominion.
This same principle applies to glory. We can only release glory to the level that we have received glory in our own lives. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” When we set ourselves to behold the glory of God, then we have our imaged changed into a glorious state, giving us the ability to release glory in the earth.
God has given believers a two-fold assignment: kings and priests. Dominion and glory. At our schools we are called to release the dominion of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We are called to give people an encounter with glory. The only way these assignments can be fulfilled is by receiving dominion and glory in our own lives. If we will set ourselves to be obedient and to gaze at God in the secret place, then God can use us to change the earth.
-Micah Wood
The Ramp

2009-09-15T07:44:00.001-07:00

Phlogizō is the Greek word which means to ignite, set on fire, to burn up, to operate destructively, have a most pernicious power. This blog exists to empower all, both individually and corporately, to engage the presence of Almighty God: the God of all-consuming fire! May you be consumed!

2009-09-13T21:42:00.001-07:00

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29