"Christians ought to be celebrating constantly.
We ought to be pre-occupied with parties, banquets, feasts, and merriment. We ought to give ourselves over to veritable orgies of joy because we have been liberated from the fear of life and the fear of death. We ought to attract people to the church quite literally by the fun there is in being a Christian."
-Robert Hotchkins
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Stewarding the Presence
Just a couple weeks ago we were in a worship session that was so sweet and intoxicating. A student from the school was leading worship and God began urging me to go to the front and release a word over the school. I stepped up to the front and was faced with one of the biggest responsibilities of someone in my position at that exact time. In that moment God told me to not just release the word but to "Steward His Presence". I can hear Gods voice, thats not what He was teaching me. He was teaching me to be a steward of his presence and to release that word in the midst of what He was doing, increasing the flow of what He was doing and not taking away.
stew·ard·ship
[stoo-erd-ship,styoo-]noun
the responsible overseeingand protection of somethingconsidered worth caring forand preserving.
We have been given the responsibility to oversee and protect the presence of God as stewards of God. To not hold the reigns but to oversee and protect the presence as He runs where ever He wants to run.
As the body of Christ, as His Church, as Gods own people we must learn that leading is stewarding. We have gotten so used to "the bit in the horses mouth approach", pulling and directing where we want our services, our flock our theology and our ministries to go. This approach has rendered God a visitor to our house instead of letting Him make our house His home. What we really need to ask ourselves is, have we placed higher value on our programs, timelines, idea's and the religious way of doing things, that God's presence now requires an invitation? Have we become stewards to our churches and ministries but not to the Presence?
Father I pray that we would all see that your presence is worth caring for and preserving. Teach us how to oversee and protect that Presence as stewarding Sons and Daughters.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Worship in the Son
We were worshiping in the kitchen last week on our morning off when we noticed that we had a little visiter that wanted to join us. Actually, as you can see in the video he had already joined us. Thank You daddy for the children.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Abba's Love
Jesus refered to God in such a revolutionary way that it would forever change not only how we approach Him but also how we relate to Him.
With one word the religious leaders of the time were sent into a tailspin of religious furry, outraged at the idea of God being our Abba. In that moment, with one word, Jesus not only revealed who God is to Him but also who who God is to us, our Father. We are no longer slaves under the law but Sons under grace.
The idea of relating to God as a Father has become not just a stumbling block for religious pharisee's but also for those who through the events of life have remained in an orphan mentality. Every human being is born into the world with parents but many never walk or live as sons and daughters because their parents never knew what it meant to be fathers and mothers. Bad experiences create bad memories which become the basis on which we then define what a father is or is not in our lives. As a result of this our view of God as a Father becomes a negative and not a positive and thus true sonship is never walked out.
One of the main roles and responsibilities of a Father is that a father defines with His words who His children are and with that, who He is. How does one deal with an established false identity of God, who is a good, true Father, when all of their experiences of fathers in their lives have been negative?
Firstly we must ask Holy Spirit to come and heal our hearts of all of the wounds that we have and establish a ground of forgiveness towards our fathers and mothers as well as ourselves.
Secondly we must fill our hearts with the truth of who and what a true Father is.
And thirdly, allow our heavenly Father to properly define us, His children. Having a correct understanding of what a Father is, and what our heavenly Father is, releases us to receive from Him and identify with Him.
Each of us are Abba's child. We are loved, perfect and beautiful in His eyes. He not only loves us but enjoys us and is delighted to call us Sons and Daughters.
He delights to call us Abba's child.
With one word the religious leaders of the time were sent into a tailspin of religious furry, outraged at the idea of God being our Abba. In that moment, with one word, Jesus not only revealed who God is to Him but also who who God is to us, our Father. We are no longer slaves under the law but Sons under grace.
The idea of relating to God as a Father has become not just a stumbling block for religious pharisee's but also for those who through the events of life have remained in an orphan mentality. Every human being is born into the world with parents but many never walk or live as sons and daughters because their parents never knew what it meant to be fathers and mothers. Bad experiences create bad memories which become the basis on which we then define what a father is or is not in our lives. As a result of this our view of God as a Father becomes a negative and not a positive and thus true sonship is never walked out.
One of the main roles and responsibilities of a Father is that a father defines with His words who His children are and with that, who He is. How does one deal with an established false identity of God, who is a good, true Father, when all of their experiences of fathers in their lives have been negative?
Firstly we must ask Holy Spirit to come and heal our hearts of all of the wounds that we have and establish a ground of forgiveness towards our fathers and mothers as well as ourselves.
Secondly we must fill our hearts with the truth of who and what a true Father is.
And thirdly, allow our heavenly Father to properly define us, His children. Having a correct understanding of what a Father is, and what our heavenly Father is, releases us to receive from Him and identify with Him.
Each of us are Abba's child. We are loved, perfect and beautiful in His eyes. He not only loves us but enjoys us and is delighted to call us Sons and Daughters.
He delights to call us Abba's child.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Beautiful Gospel
Jesus said that signs, wonders and miracles would follow those who believe. It's funny how we can make something that is so simple seem so complicated. The past two weekends have been filled with signs, wonders and miracles just like Daddy promised. Last weekend we had a conference in a place called Miezi where we packed out a large church with local people, pastors, harvest school students and many many children to worship in one accord. Throughout the course of the weekend Daddy manifested His love in many different ways. On one morning the kitchen was at least 1000 loaves of bread short, with no more bread to be found they blessed it and started serving it anyways. They were told to give one full loaf to every person and every person received their full loaf.
God multiplied the bread!
In a place of dependancy miracles break forth.
The same conference there was a young boy who had never walked before, who's name was Omar. After receiving prayer he took his first steps across the stage.
There was also a blind baby who's eyes were white until receiving prayer. Slowly the eyes turned from white to grey to brown and she looked at her mother for the first time.
Just yesterday a group of us prayed for lady that could not walk because of two club feet. As the group prayed we watched as her one leg grew 5 inches to match the other. Her calf muscle began to form and grow where there was only bone before.
All of these people did not just walk away with a miracle but with an encounter with the furious love of God.
"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" Luke 12:32
If what your living for isn't worth dying for, then are you really living? God has called us to greatness! To see great things and to experience things that are beyond anything that we could fathom. But to step into our destinies we must first count the cost. In Luke 14 Jesus calls us to count the cost first before we start to build. God has been showing us the costs to fully living for Him and fully walking in our destinies and though the costs may be many, the promised reward outweighs every time. We say YES to you Jesus every time! The mission field has often been romanticized like a hollywood movie. Legitimate, amazing, joyful stories are told (exactly what people want to hear) but we tend to not focus to much on the cost of it all. Stepping into the fullness of what God is calling us to, carries with it a cost of being away from family, friends and comforts. As we dive deeper into His plans and will for our lives we do so knowing that there are costs to be paid but also joys to be obtained. The price tag has not changed but is rarely paid in full if even at all. The price is not silver or gold or precious stones. God requires of us what mankind required of Him.....our lives. May we visit the bank accounts of our hearts and withdrawal every cent and lay it at the feet of the one who will reap back one hundred fold return. May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.
"[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!" Romans 8:18
God multiplied the bread!
In a place of dependancy miracles break forth.
The same conference there was a young boy who had never walked before, who's name was Omar. After receiving prayer he took his first steps across the stage.
There was also a blind baby who's eyes were white until receiving prayer. Slowly the eyes turned from white to grey to brown and she looked at her mother for the first time.
Just yesterday a group of us prayed for lady that could not walk because of two club feet. As the group prayed we watched as her one leg grew 5 inches to match the other. Her calf muscle began to form and grow where there was only bone before.
All of these people did not just walk away with a miracle but with an encounter with the furious love of God.
"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" Luke 12:32
If what your living for isn't worth dying for, then are you really living? God has called us to greatness! To see great things and to experience things that are beyond anything that we could fathom. But to step into our destinies we must first count the cost. In Luke 14 Jesus calls us to count the cost first before we start to build. God has been showing us the costs to fully living for Him and fully walking in our destinies and though the costs may be many, the promised reward outweighs every time. We say YES to you Jesus every time! The mission field has often been romanticized like a hollywood movie. Legitimate, amazing, joyful stories are told (exactly what people want to hear) but we tend to not focus to much on the cost of it all. Stepping into the fullness of what God is calling us to, carries with it a cost of being away from family, friends and comforts. As we dive deeper into His plans and will for our lives we do so knowing that there are costs to be paid but also joys to be obtained. The price tag has not changed but is rarely paid in full if even at all. The price is not silver or gold or precious stones. God requires of us what mankind required of Him.....our lives. May we visit the bank accounts of our hearts and withdrawal every cent and lay it at the feet of the one who will reap back one hundred fold return. May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.
"[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!" Romans 8:18
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