Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Melting Pot

Tonight I took Sheryl out on a date. Well, maybe she took me. Anyway she got a coupon a couple of months ago for 50 dollars worth of food for 25 dollars. So tonight we went down to the one in Kennesaw. It was a lot of fun, although it cost a lot more than the 50 dollars. WE had cheese fondue, then the meats, which consisted of Ahi Tuna, Steak, chicken and shrimp. There was more than enough and we ate as much as we wanted and there was still food left over. Then we topped the night off with dark chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas; cheesecake and pound cake. It was an excellent meal.

But why do people pay such high prices for such a meal. Yes it was good, but the food alone wasn’t so good that it was worth that price. I believe the reason they pay it is the experience. The experience is much more than the food, in fact the food is a minor player. The real experience is taking time for dinner. It took us almost 1 ½ hours to eat. That id probably twice as long as the average person spends eating, even if they are eating out. The greatest part of the experience is really about building relationship. Can you imagine if we all took the time to talk with one another over the fondue pot. Spending that much time just talking and listening over a fondue pot is bound to make a big impression your date. It’s the same way with Him as we begin to push out of our comfort zone.

So many of us, me included, don’t want to watch life pass us by. Sure, I love to minister to the hurting. I do it in sozo and in school. As much as I like to minister, there is more to having a balanced life in God. That means that I need to schedule time with my wife just for fun. Tonight is more than just about the food, as good as it was. It was about quality time together. Time to just talk and think about the future together. It was a time to talk about the kids and grandkids. It was a time to dream about seeing them and loving on them too. It was a night to talk about moving and all that entails. It was really about just enjoying the experience together, alone.

Life is busy and it’s hard to find time to really stop and smell the roses. Tonight we were able just to sit back and rest in His goodness, reflecting on everything that He has given us. We didn’t have to verbalize it, it just happened. I have to look for these moments and take advantage of them when they arise. So tonight the Melting Pot was much more than a resteraunt. It was a place where hearts could connect in a deeper and slower way. It was a place to bring up dreams and look at our destiny. The journey is so important, but sometimes we have to just sit back and reflect not only on where we are going, but where we have been. That’s really what tonight was all about. And in the midst of doing that, we got to eat some awesome food.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Loving Life

What do you find yourself doing when things get so busy? I know that this season of our lives is very busy. We seem to be so involved with school, sozo and just every aspect of life. Plus the driving back and forth between Newnan and up here definitely takes its toll. Today Sheryl came up after doing a sozo and we were able to go out and exercise. She walked while I ran. I am in terrible shape. I don’t have time to run, it seems like I am always in the car. This can’t continue this way.

The good news is that it won’t. We will be moving Sheryl out of her place on October 15th. We have rented a house in Peachtree City. It is 10 – 15 minutes from school and probably about a half hour to the airport. Church is about 20 minutes away, and I-85 is about 15 minutes away. It is a great location because of the quick access to everything, plus it has all the cart paths and running trails. It will be a great place to live.

Even in the midst of all the business, I love life. There is never a dull moment. Everyday is different and exciting. I know that for many years, I took life for granted. No more. I just want to savor every day as a new adventure. Life is just too short to not get all you can get out of it. I just wish I could be at more than one place at one time. I would be in Alaska with Lisa, in Florida with Jennifer and in Atlanta doing what we are doing here. Oh yes, I would be in California with Levi too. Everything that we want to do is here, but there is so much we would like to do with everyone else too.

So, I guess I will close. Life is good and God is better. It’s his life and His love that cause us to want to do so much. I can’t imagine being less involved; it would be so boring. Well, life is anything but boring. Oh, I forgot, we have to move both houses in our spare time. Yes, Life is definitely happening, the pace is picking up and the good news is Aslan is on the move!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sharing Thoughts and Memories

This afternoon I met with a friend who lost his wife not long ago. He wanted to talk and share. Basically I think that he needed to have someone who understood where he was, agree with him. Or at lest give him some prospective on what I thought. It was a good time of sharing about God and His goodness. This guy has very similar views of God, and he really needed to talk with someone who agreed with him.

You see, there really aren’t that many of us in the church, especially in the south that believe as passionately about the goodness of God as we do. He was wondering if something was wrong with him because he was beginning not to grieve as much, and yet those in his “grief counseling” class have been grieving for years. I shared my situation and how I felt God gave me joy even in the midst of grief. I shared that I was healed by the release of joy, even in the midst of grief. I could see that he was still questioning himself and trying to figure out what went “wrong” in her healing. I know the questions that go through your mind. Questions like, did I pray enough? Was there some sin in my life or her life that kept her from receiving? There could be thousands of questions if you give them space to form and entertain them. But what good do the questions do? They can’t bring her back. All they can do is to answer whys that we weren’t intended to answer. Things reserved for heaven.

I didn’t go to any grief counseling sessions. I don’t necessarily think that they are bad, it’s just that Holy Spirit said He wanted to be my grief counselor. That has to be far greater than any support group out there. He bypassed some of the stages of grief, but are there really seven stages? Or is it five? Or three? I don’t know, I didn’t count them. All I know is that I was so connected to the Father that there was nothing that I couldn’t handle with the ease of a pen. It’s Holy Spirit that expands your heart so that you can love again when you never thought that you would be able to. He did that for Sheryl and me. He gave me such a deep capacity to love her and yet to not dampen my love for Julia.

I told my friend that he would love again, and that his capacity to love would be so much greater than he has ever imagined. I think the fact that I had remarried and found life again was the most encouraging thing that he got out of our talk. It was good to see a man who believes in the goodness of God. It’s good to see someone who goes after healing and presses in of more of the Holy Spirit, even when he doesn’t understand. Yes, today I met a fellow journeyman in the middle of life’s most tragic event, and I was blessed to see his response. It’s good to know that others exist out there. I know that there are others in my stream of the Kingdom, but to fine others in different streams is really encouraging. The Lord is doing a work, and it is beginning to transcend denominational and traditional lines. Today was a good day.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Spiritual Sons and Daughters

Where is our destiny? What is our inheritance? These are two questions that are being discussed by many of us as we go after the Kingdom of God. We are realizing that the only way for revival to continue more than one generation is to pass it on to the next generation. That is what I am attempting to do in this school. As I grow older, my destiny becomes less important and my inheritance has become more important. But the more I think about it, the more that I realize that in many ways they are one in the same.

My destiny is tied up in training and releasing revivalists. But at the same time, in order to train and release them, I have to become a Father to most of them. This is the generation that is so caught up in an orphan spirit. Just looking at the students as we ministered last night I could tell that many, if not most, of them were dealing with that spirit. As we prayed for the new students this weekend, I believe that this was one of the main issues that each of them were facing. It doesn’t seem to matter what their background was, they all seemed to be dealing with an orphan spirit. Sure, those with good families weren’t dealing with it as strongly as the others, but they still seemed to be dealing with it.

I think it is just so prevalent in our country that we will catch some of it just by being in the air as we live and breath. I ministered to a lot, maybe 25 – 30 and although I might not have dealt with it; it was there in each of them. The need for Spiritual Fathers and Mothers has never been so great. So what does that look like? I think I am living it out right now. For me, it looks like this weekend; pouring my life out as I love each of them and let them know that my love really has no strings attached. I don’t know how many people I hugged and just loved on this weekend. It seems that that is what I spent most of my time doing. Sure. I got to preach and prophecy, but what these kids really need is someone to encourage and to direct them while giving them freedom. I guess I really learned to be a spiritual father by being a natural father.

I believe it is a father’s role to train, empower, give wings and watch them fly. I never want to do anything to hold or keep my daughters from going after their destiny and neither would I want to do anything but empower and encourage these kids. Yes, most of my job in first year is something I am well prepared for; just be a dad to all, even if they are older than me. I think I can do that, Jennifer and Lisa nave taught me well.

Panama City Beach

Well, it was way to late to do a blog last night, so I am trying to start this one early because I have a lot to talk about. Yesterday was absolutely awesome. Steve had a great talk about identity and then Scott rocked the place with his talk on Sonship. It was exactly as I had been praying. We broke some stuff off and redirected their focus on His goodness Then we were able to show them how the Father sees them and then take them into learning about Sonship and what it means to be a Son or Daughter of the King. The night ended with many of the students coming up for hugs. They were craving that freedom of Sonship and the knowledge of the love of the Father.

Today had it's ups and downs. The ups were the services. This morning Lauren spoke on perspective. It was very similar to my. Colored lenses. It was good and really made the point that we usually see what we are looking after. Then John Pilcher spoke and prophesied over many of the students. Tonight Lacey brought desert. She spoke on her relationship with Holy Spirit. It was an excellent presentation, right from the heart.

These are a couple of quotes from her talk. "When you value what He values you will love what He loves.". That one is so true. What you gaze at, you become. She also says this: "His truth always brings my truth higher and His exchange rate is always in your favor.". Worship was also over the top again. I believe this is the best retreat that I have been on since I started coming to them three years ago.

The one downer: we had a major accident on the scooter. The funny thing was, we hadn't even left the parking lot. One of the women opened the throttle full, panicked and had a death grip. She went full speed into a wooden wall. She probably hit the wall going about 20 mph. It wasn't good. She broke her ankle in two places, injured her elbow and possibly facial injuries. I never even got my scooter started. Needless to say, we canceled the ride. I wound up spending the afternoon in the ER. She will be able to come home to Atlanta tomorrow.

Even with the crash, this has been a remarkable weekend. I'm looking forward to sleeping on the way home tomorrow. It,s been a great weekend, but I'm ready to be home.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Basking in His Goodness

In sitting here at a picnic table overlooking the ocean. It's dark, but I can hear the waves gently washing up on the shore. It's nice and cool out tonight. Definitely cooler than my room. I'm not sure how good the AC works in there. Hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight. Right now it is very pleasant out here. I an at perfect piece. Holy Spirit showed up big time at our service tonight and I was so blessed to be used as His vessel.

I'm in awe every time He shows up. It's exciting to be able to speak under the anointing. I know that if I wasn't under the anointing of the Holy Spirit then it would knave fallen flat. But it didn't. Instead His presence kept getting stronger and stronger as the night went on. It started during worship when He showed me A vision of how the people in the room were going to impact nations. It was an amazing vision. For probably the first time I saw and felt love for people I didn't know though His eye. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to speak. Anyway, the vision was very strong and I knew that I would have to share it with the group during my talk.

My talk was on fear and God's perfect love. It was really good because it was simple but effective. I know that chains and bondages were broken off even as I spoke. Then at the end we had a fire tunnel to break off all that had been seen, but not yet broken off. It was an awesome time of ministry. So, the night is over, it's late and I'm about to go to bed. But am at piece, knowing that I was faithful to do what He had told me to do. The camp is off to a great start and I can't wait until tomorrow. Goodnight.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Ready for PCB

Well, I’m with Sheryl back down in Newnan tonight and I’m almost packed for the beach retreat. Scott, Lacey, Hector, Terri and I will be leaving for Panama City in the morning. It will probably take around 5 – 6 hours to drive but the weather looks great and it should be a great weekend. I hope the rain quits before we drive tomorrow. Today has been a good day. I was able to get a two hour nap this afternoon.

I am really excited about this retreat. We have a great group of students, and this should be a great time for us to really pour into them. They are like sponges right now, seeking more and more of God. I get the priviledge of starting the retreat off. I’m the first speaker tomorrow night and I really am praying that I can open them up to look inside and see wherer they are not believing the truth about their Father God.

Before they can learn who they are, they have to begin to really see who God is, and how much He really does love them. So my talk is about fear. But really it is about the perfect love of God, because perfect love cast out fear. So if I can show them how to connect with the Love of God, then He can deal with their fears. On Saturday we begin to talk about identity and Sonship. It’s the basis of our whole year, and it will set the tone for the year. So this will be a powerful and fun weekend.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Packing for PCB

Well, I’m back up north tonight but I left my love back down in Newnan. I had to come up today so I could check the mail and then pack up for the beach retreat. I thought that I was going to have a day when all that I had to do was to work on my talk for Friday night, but I was wrong. I wound up responding to emails and phone calls from people who want to come to the school at the last minute. I have compassion on them, and will do everything that I can to help them, but it really messes up my day. I actually got three applications emailed to me tonight and I completed two interviews. So tomorrow I have one more interview to complete. That should be it, because we will not take any more students after the beach retreat this weekend.

Another thing that I really had to do was to pack for my trip and a few more days in Newnan. I’m almost packed now, so there isn’t really too much to do in the morning. That’s a good thing since I have another 3AM wake up in the morning. It’s easy to pack for the beach, it’s just that now I have to pack not only for the beach, but for a few days in Newnan as well. Sooner, rather than later, we are going to have to help see what He has for us. It’s been a very long day. I was blessed with a little nap this week so I can continue late into the night.

I’m working on my talk. It’s on fear, and I just know that many are going to be impacted as Holy Spirit speaks to them. The key verse will be 1 John 4:18. It’s about Perfect Love casting out fear. So even though it’s on fear, it’s really about the goodness of God. In order for us not to have fear, we have to have a proper view of Papa. My goal is to begin to tune them into this view. I know that it is going to be fun. It’s late, so I’m going to try and finish packing and go to bed. Hopefully I will have more time tomorrow night.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Desperation or Hunger

We’ve all said it; I’m desperate for more of God. We talk about desperation for God like it’s a good thing, and we mean it to be. But if we really think about it, being desperate is not necessarily good. Eric was talking about this tonight. If you are desperate for your wife, what does that say about our relationship? If the only time I wanted Sheryl was when I was desperate, she wouldn’t like that very much. In reality Desperation is based on your awareness of lack. That is true, because so many times we only seek after God when we realize that we are lacking something.

Hunger on the other hand is based on our awareness of His abundance. I am hungry for more of Him. It is good to be hungry. Hungry people wind up being filled because they don’t take no for an answer. I love hungry people because they are seeking after more and they are willing to take risk to find it. I have been hungry for years and I what to maintain that level of hunger.

This week at school has made me hungry for more of His presence. Tonight in worship was amazing as we praised Him and then I took the mike and had some of the students sing prophetically. Eric and Candice were great, and the excitement is building for Panama City Beach. It really is going to be a good week, But it’s very late, and I have to get up very early, so just stay hungry and seek more of Him.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Dreams and Decisions

A couple of nights ago I wrote about dreaming and I said that dreams were the outline that God used to paint our destiny on. I believe that more than ever. Our destiny is tied into our dreams. If we are afraid to dream, then it is hard to fulfill the destiny that He has for us. I know that God can always play His grace card, and He can redeem everything, but without that grace, then not dreaming can skew your destiny.

How many times have I, or you, waited or your dreams to come to pass without making decisions that really needed to be made. I have learned over the past couple of years that I need to be proactive. In the past I would not make decisions a lot of times and just let circumstances force me into making the decision. But what I have learned, is that Papa has given me the mind and His Spirit to make decisions. I used to want to make sure I heard His voice before I made a decision, but the problem was He normally wasn't speaking about what I wanted Him to. How come whenever a big decision is to be made, He doesn't seem to be there?

Tonight at school Eric Johnson said this; "If God made all the decisions for you, you would have nothing to account for at the end of your days." This really is so true. He wants us to make decisions. Sometimes there is nothing from Him. But at the same time, He has already given us what we need. He has given us our dreams. If our dreams are the outline on the canvass, then the decisions that we make are where the turns in the outlines occur. Without making decisions, our dreams can't form the outline.

What if our dreams aren't from God? Do you love Him? Is your heart on fire for Him? If so, then you have to trust that your dreams are His dreams for you. In the church we think we have a red light until it turns green. But in the Kingdom of God we have a green light until it turns red. Many times we are afraid to make a decision because we fear it might be wrong. Sure, there are right and wrong decisions. If you are married and decide to be unfaithful to your spouse, that's a wrong decision. But many decisions that we make have no " wrong" answer. It's either choose this or choose that. That's where Papa let's us choose. These decisions are the ones where our legacy is formed. Do we go after our dreams, or do we react in fear? We get to choose.

So, really the destiny that we have is in many ways tied to our dreams. And whether our dreams are fulfilled has a lot to do with the day to day decisions that we make. So, keep going with the green light until God gives you the red light. Don't be afraid to be proactive in your decisions. Dare to dream, but even more, dare to follow your dreams. Your Papa is a good God and He loves to love on His Kids. He is proud of you. Follow your heart.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunday and We are Back Down South

Remember the skit by Abbot and Costello “Who’s on first?” Well, maybe you weren’t born yet. But that’s the way we are beginning to feel as we bounce back and forth from Dallas to Newnan. This morning we left my house in Dallas for church and then drove down to Sheryl’s apartment in Newnan. It looks like we will be down here until Wed afternoon and I will drive back to my house. Sheryl will stay up here and then I will drive back after work on Thursday. You get the idea. It’s hard to find out when we will be where. Tomorrow we are looking at another house in Peachtree City. I hope we find something this week so we can put an end to this as soon as possible.

Today at church we had Eric and Candice Johnson. They were great, but the worship was so awesome that there sermon was really incidental. It is wonderful when you are worshiping God, and He starts interacting with you. It’s really hard to explain because even though it’s a corporate experience, it’s still an individual one too; because He is talking to each of us in different ways. That’s what is so amazing; He can love each of us just the way we need Him to love us. The corporate flow allows the individual response. You can’t understand until you have experienced it. And today, we were allowed to experience it.

Tomorrow I’m off until School tomorrow night. It’s really going to be a great week because we go to Panama City for the beach retreat on Friday. That will be a lot of fun. I just wish Sheryl was going to get to go too. She will be here with the grandkids. So it will be a very busy week, but it’s going to be a busy month. October will be especially busy as we try to move, hopefully. Anyway, life is moving fast, and I am just trying to keep up. Eric was talking about knowing your limits, and I deed to define mine, because I feel that I am approaching them, if I haven’t passed them already. Well, I will pray about that as I work on my talk for Friday night. It is really going to be a fun week.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Fun at the Lake

Well, we are back up north tonight after a great weekend at the lake. The weather was a little better today, but fall is definitely in the air. That is great except when you want to get in one last weekend of summer. But anyway, it was a very relaxing weekend. WE were with Bud and Cathy. Scott, Lacey and the kids joined us, and we watched Judah catch his first fish. We took a couple of boat rides and just sat out on the dock. It was just a very relaxing weekend.

It’s a good thing, because things are really picking up fast. We have Eric and Candice Johnson coming in from Redding Ca for this school week. They will be at church on Sunday and then the staff has a dinner with them Sunday night. We have school on Monday and Tuesday night and I work on from Tuesday through Thursday. We have a Sozo team meeting on Thursday night and then on Friday we go to Panama City Beach on Friday through Monday. It’s definitely a busy week. In the middle of this week, I still have to prepare to speak on Friday night at the retreat. I know what I am speaking on, but I still have to work it all out.

In the midst of all this, I just have to settle down and seek the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s only in His rest that I can get any of this done. So I have to just make myself stop and get centered in on who He is, not what I am doing. My only job in all that I am doing is to release His Kingdom wherever I go. There is no way to do that without just resting in and seeking even more of His presence.

You see, it’s really not about me and all that I am doing. It’s about Him and letting Him use me. I’ve said it before, I want Holy Spirit to wear me like a glove. It’s all about remaining in peace. I know things seem hectic, but it’s still all about the peace and staying in the peace of the Lord, even when you are busy. That is my main job. In fact it really the main job of any believer who is trying to do all that God is calling them to do. So, it had been good to spend the weekend at the week, but the real key is remaining at rest during this week. If I can do this, then everything will fall into place.

Friday, September 16, 2011

At the Lake

It's been a great day at the lake. The only thing was the weather didn't cooperate very well. Cloudy and 70 degrees is not good if you want to swim.
Anyway, it's late and i think that I will call it a night. I'll say more tomorrow night. This is the last time at the lake for the summer so I guess I'll take a vacation tonight.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Changes Keep Coming

Someone said that if you are not changing, you are dead. I don’t know about that, but I do know that change is inevitable. I have been in a season of constant change and transition for as long as I can remember. I thrive on change, but the down side of change is that it normally has a cost. That’s why most people don’t like change. Think about it with me. When you stay in your box and are afraid of change, you don’t ever pay the upfront cost that change brings. But in the long run, I feel that you pay a much stepper price later on.

Anyway, I know that we are in the midst of great change. The church as we know it is changing. It is changing every year. more and more people are leaving denominations for independent churches. The number of unchurched people continue to grow because most churches are culturally irrelevant. People need the presence of God. The churches that are going after His presence are finally beginning to grow and make a difference in their community. Yes, change is coming to the church.

Personally, Sheryl and I are in the midst of change. That is no big surprise, we are blending two different lives into one. It’s fun, but certain changes really do come at a high cost. We are in the middle of one of them. We are looking for a place to live down in Peachtree City. We want to be on the north side, closer to the school and the airport. We will rent until we are sure we are happy with the area. We have been looking at houses, and probably have one in mind. We will know next week. At any rate, this is a costly change. It is costly because we are having to leave all our friends on the north side of town; friends that I have had for years and Sheryl has come to love. Yes this change is one of the most costly, but also one of the most necessary changes we have to make.

Right now we are living out of suitcases, commuting back and forth between Newnan and Acworth/Dallas. Something has to give, so we are taking the steps necessary to make this happen as soon as we can. Hopefully we will soon be able to start the arduous process of moving two households. We will probably move Sheryl’s first because it is quicker. Then we will begin the process of packing up and moving mine. It is not going to be fun, but change and transition are not supposed to be fun.

So, as we go to the lake for probably the last time this summer, we just want to relax and get ready for all that will take place in the next few months; school, sozo, work and moving. That’s really going to be a full time, but it is necessary to take the next step that we are called to. So, let it all begin; just not this weekend. : > )

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Love, The Ultimate Weapon

So, here we are after 9/11 in a world that is full of fear and insecurity. The stock market takes wild swings with every rumor. No one trusts their politicians, shoot, they don’t trust anybody or anything. We live in a world where most of the people are alone. The orphan spirit is so prevalent in society. Families wind up all over the world. Mine is scattered from Alaska to the tip of Florida and now to California and Atlanta. To get together is almost impossible. Yes, fear and insecurity is in the air.

It is such a strong influence, and we walk under it every day. Think about it. If you watch TV or listen to the news, that’s all you hear. I used to watch the news all the time, and I still watch a good bit. But I had to pull back when I found myself thinking constantly about how bad things were getting. We fall under the lie that it will never be better for our kids than it was for us. We begin declaring lies that America is losing her greatness, and that we are falling apart economically. The market tends to feed on it’s own rumors. If you say there is going to be a housing crisis long enough, soon enough it will come true. When we speak things out , we give power into whatever we speak about. Our words make worlds. What kind of world do we want? We need to begin to speak it into existence. I want a world where love rules. I want a love where people see an army of believers who love as they go.

Love is the ultimate weapon. The greatest commandment: Love. Love your neighbor as yourself. We have to love ourselves before we can love our neighbors. Our identity has to be fully known. It’s not about what we do, it’s about who we are. We have to love ourselves. We can do that because He first loved us. How can we not love something that He made in His image; someone that He called and equipped to release His love here on the earth? So we have to love ourselves, and then we can give that love away to whomever we come in contact with.

Perfect love cast out the fear. Prefect love cast out the fear of what might happen. When we focus on Him and His goodness, our love can be released onto the market place. We really are an army, and if we all join together in love, we can change the world. We can shift the atmosphere. In fact, we should declare: No more fear! I choose to believe the good, to love everyone and to break through the fear barrier that the powers of the air are trying to establish over this country. We will not be sucked into the lies that say the sky is falling. My God is a big God. He is much bigger than the recession; the housing crisis; the political crisis or any other crisis. He shapes history; He is not forced into any box. We have to choose. I say lets release the bombs of love over the earth. We can make a difference.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Dreaming

Tonight as I looked at 100 people passionately worshiping God, all I could help think about was the lives that were going to be changed. Each of these, staff included are sacrificing a lot to be here and pressing into all that He has for each of us. As I look at all these students, I just see blank canvasses. Canvasses that He will paint on this year.

But what will He paint, and how will He do it. It's so amazing because I believe that he already has an outline for each of our paintings. That outline is our dreams. Dreams are not random. I believe that our dreams are sent to us from God. He has set us up to be a unique part of His kingdom. If you just imagine a giant jigsaw puzzle, the biggest you have ever seen. I believe that each of us and our dreams are a piece of the puzzle. When our dreams are fulfilled our piece is fit perfectly in the puzzle. So this year, the outline of the canvass of our destiny will begin to be filled with the divine paint of the Father. It will fill the outline of our dreams and many of us will begin the journey to have our pieces put into place.

We really don't realize how important we are to Him. We are pieces of His plan, if we press into His dreams for us we will be able to be the piece of the puzzle that He needs right in the place we are at. It doesn't make sense to me that He chooses to put the big puzzle together instead of just coming on scene and taking over. But I heard a wise man say that we shouldn't be crying for Him to come too soon, because when the author comes on the stage, the play is over. We donut want the to be over yet. There are still too many souls to bring into the Kingdom.

So we should pursue our dreams with passion. Our responsibility is to press into Him and allow Him to work through us. If we are going after His mission with passion, our dreams will be answered. It's not seeking our dreams, it's seeking Him. That's what we are trying to teach and impart this year. So, we are calling all dreamers, not just those in school. But dreamers of all ages, because your dreams don't stop with age. At least I hope not. I want to be pressing after dreams until I die. I don't want to ever stop pushing the limits. The limits might change, but I want to go out pushing them.

Monday, September 12, 2011

School Begins!

Today is the day that we have been pointing toward since I started the interview process back in late June. We have right at 100 students in all three years and I know that it is going to be a great year. It’s a little bit different being on the other side of the fence this year. Tonight my only responsibility was to get the night started with worship. But to do that I had to set the tone and stir up expectation of what was to come. My main task was to welcome the students and welcome Holy Spirit. Once worship started, I knew that it was going to be a great night. The last ten minutes of worship we went around giving the mike to different students having them sing prophetically over the class. It was a time of stretching and activation, right off the bat.

Steve and Scott got the year started off right by talking about expectations and dreams. They both did great and really set the bar high for the rest of the speakers. Tomorrow night Lacey and John will speak. I won’t speak until we go on the beach retreat. So I have a couple of weeks to get ready. At the end of Scott’s talk we had half the second year class get up and prophecy over the first years. I know a lot about them since I interviewed them. The prophetic words that were given were amazingly accurate. Second year rocked tonight.

I guess the thing I like best is the unity and love that the whole leadership team has for each other. Everyone is so willing to do anything to make the other one look good. It’s awesome! I love working with Scott and all the team, I know that it is really going to be a good year.
Well, I have an A period with a 3AM wake up tomorrow morning. I will judge by what time I get to work whether I can sleep later the next day. Anyway, I am going to close the blog early tonight so I can at least get four hours sleep. Hopefully I will be able to schedule a power nap tomorrow afternoon. I can sleep, dreaming of all that Papa is going to do this year. It’s going to be a blast.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Ten Years Later

I imagine that everyone who was alive in the USA remembers where they were when the World Trade Center was hit by the terrorists. I was in the simulator at the Delta Training center getting checked out in the B737. That’s the same plane that I instruct on now. Anyway, that day totally changed the lives of many, if not most, Americans. Some, especially if they lost family and friends were drastically affected. But others were affected drastically in other ways.

I know that 9/11 affected almost every area of my life. Being a pilot, it took what was a great job, and made it one that was not so much fun anymore. The new security system for helping stop any other tragedy played havoc with flight crews. It got to the point where I hated going to work because of all the security systems that we had to navigate. I could have understood it if it passed the common sense test, but it didn’t and was very irritating every day I flew. Also, everyone stopped flying for almost a year, and the airlines were going broke fast. Delta wasn’t doing very good even before 9/11, but after that, they were loosing millions of dollars a day.

What they should have done was right then asks all the employees to take a 30% pay cut. I believed then and I still do that the employees would have gladly given this to keep their jobs. But they didn’t and the rest is history. Yes, 9/11 really did have a drastic effect on many of us.

So, today as we remember ten years ago, I salute the heroes that fought and died. The fallen in the building and the planes as well as all our troops who have given so much to protect us and keep anything from happening to us since. The cost of freedom is high, and many are continuing to pay that price daily. May we never forget!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Advanced Sozo Day 2

Today was the last day of the conference, and it was a very good day. We learned some more tools and the best part was the question answer section and when they did some of the role-play. This has really been a great learning time as well as a time connecting with leaders. With around 200 people attending the conference from all around the southeast, it was a great time of sharing and interacting among the teams. Sheryl and Terry Cantrell did a great ob of putting things together, but the real kudos go to the RiverStone Sozo team for really taking ownership and pulling this thing off with excellence. They made me very proud.

I only hope that in the next year Sheryl and I can build the Bethel Atlanta Sozo team in the mold of what has been developed at RiverStone. I know that we have a challenge. First, we are a lot smaller church; we only have about 300 – 350 members, RiverStone has around 1000. But we know that we have the advantage of being under Bethel Redding and if we can get this team up and running I have no doubt that we can join RiverStone as one of the two best Sozo teams in the state.

Speaking of Sozos, I have written many times about how you use sozos to discover wounds and lies to heal and connect you to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But there is another reason to have a sozo. Sometimes it’s just good to have one to “recalibrate”. By that, I mean when life gives you hits, sometimes it is good just to see if there is anything that has blocked your relationship to the Trinity. My last sozo was about three years ago when the Bethel team came to do the basic conference at RiverStone. A lot has happened since then. I wanted one about six months ago, but I didn’t think it was fair to have any of mine and Julia’s friends do it. Also I didn’t want anyone of my friends at Bethel Atlanta to do it. So, I waited until this week. I was hoping that Dawna would minister to me, and this morning she did.

By sozo standards, it was rather quick. It took about 40 minutes, but it was a great time, and she wrote down two pages of notes on what Papa, Jesus and Holy Spirit said to me, along with the prophetic words and pictures she saw. It was surprising because she identified a familiar spirit that I had lived with almost all of my life. Needless to say, I walked out of the room much lighter and brighter than I went in. I really didn’t know what I was carrying, but I knew that it was something. To be honest, that is a sign of spiritual maturity to be able to know that things aren’t quite right and be willing to deal with it.

I know that this year is a year of open doors. Every door that I even though about knowing on has been opened this year. I am so excited about what He is doing. But I know that to go where He is calling, I have to move up a level in the Spirit. I think that I took that first step this afternoon. That’s a good thing, because tomorrow school starts and I have great responsibility and great opportunity.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Advanced Sozo Day 1

Well the conference began today and it was very good Dawna was the main speaker today, and we dealt with topics such as prophetic deliverance and other tools to bring freedom to those who are afflicted by different types of evil spirits. Now, I know that some of you really don’t believe in the demonic, but it is in the Bible, and I have seen the difference when someone is set free.

The key thing today is to know that God is so much bigger than anything the enemy has to offer. If we focus on Him, and His love, then most of the other will take care of itself. But there are occasions where people are stuck back in an old paradigm and they can’t really grasp His goodness. Then we still have to recognize where we are, and what we can do to be set free. That is where many people turn to the spiritual side to gain freedom.

Today we learned tools to help those who are stuck. That is good because we are seeing more and more people who are stuck and can’t get out. It seems that sozos are getting harder. I don’t know if it is because of all the stress that people are under in these harsh economic times. Anyway, this advanced conference with the training that it brings couldn’t have come at a better time. So tomorrow we get another day with even more training. It will be a good day. These days are full, but easy. I do have another interview tomorrow. It will probably be my last one before Sunday. These are really the easy days. Sunday starts the marathon. We have church, then orientation on Sunday afternoon from 1 – 5. Then Monday we have staff meetings and then school. Tuesday, I work an A period, have staff meetings and then school Tuesday night; then another A period on Wed and Thursday. It’s going to be a long week, but it’s just the beginning of many long weeks for the next nine months.

Well, tomorrow is coming fast. It’s going to be even hotter. Tonight we have the windows open. I can hear the crickets. I really love sleeping with the windows open. Fall is definitely in the air, but I know that there will be some hotter weather left in September. That’s fine, I can feel the promise of cooler air. I can feel the promise of school and the excitement of all the students as they go after their destiny and learn what it is to be a Revivalist. It might be a long week, but it is definitely going to be a fun week.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Leader's Meeting

Today around 50 leaders of Sozo ministries around the southeast came together for a luncheon meeting. They came together for a common purpose: to make their ministries better. Most of the time was spent on questions and answers with Dona and Teresa. They answered many questions and shared wisdom and insight that they have gained over the many years of ministry. It was a great time and a great lunch.

So, what brings 50 leaders together to spend not only today but the next two days with their teams listening to two women talk. I think it’s the opportunity to do more in expanding the Kingdom of God. Community transformation is the key and we transform the community one person at a time. What better way to transform someone than to spend two hours connecting them to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I have been doing sozos for about three years, and I know the basic tools pretty well. I even know some of the advanced tools , but I don’t know them all, and I need more instruction on how and when to use them. So I need this advanced training. I know that most of the RiverStone team will be there, and I hope that many from Bethel Atlanta will be there too. It will be a great day where you can all learn and understand more of what Papa is trying to teach us.

At the same time, I was able to get two interviews for school completed today. I don’t have anymore interviews in hand, but there may be one or two applications still floating around out there that I don’t know about. Anyway, it’s getting close to school. Orientation starts on Sunday and school actually begins on Monday night; I can’t wait. School is really going to be fun and to be able to be a part of what God is doing today.

So, here I am. What will I learn tomorrow? It’s just as much about impartation as it is about knowledge. It’s about the timing and use of the tools. It’s about learning to listen more to the Holy Spirit. I do know this. It’s going to be fun. I am surrounded with like minded believers who are going after the same things that I am. It’s exciting what God is doing as we press into Him. So, the actual conference begins. I say bring it on. It’s going to be great.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Roaring Like a Lion

My good friend Daniel Bashta’s album was released yesterday. One of my favorite songs is on it “Roaring Like a Lion” It’s a great song, in fact it is the one that I requested he sing at Julia’s funeral. The words “Let Heaven roar, let fore fall; come shake the ground with the sounds of revival” echo through my bones as I hear them. My heart sings out with every ounce of strength that I can muster.

That is what school is all about. That’s why I have been interviewing sixty prospective students, and that is why I eat and breathe. Impacting this generation, that is my mission. Whether it be teaching school or leading Sozo, the pay is the same. We are investing in an eternal flame that we pray will ignite in the hearts of those we minister to. Imaging what would happen to Atlanta if around 400 radicals were to go after all the things that we should be doing. This year we will have students in first year from 18 – 73. It truly is an intergenerational thing that Papa is doing.

It’s His presence that gives us hope and peace. It’s his presence that keeps a revivalist pressing into the deep realms of the Kingdom. It’s not really about the healings, although they are great. It’s not even the miracles and the prophetic words. It’s just about His presence. The sooner we realize that, the sooner that we can continue to press into all that He is. I love lions. Prophetically they do represent the King, and all I want to do is to see the Kings rule and reign established over the earth as soon as possible.

So, here I am after a long day at work, and picking up the Sozo team from Bethel. Tomorrow the Advanced Sozo conference begins. I know that I will learn even more tools to help set people free from the wounds and lies that blind us from our true identity and the victory that is ours. So, it’s time to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be an awesome.

Six More Students

I am really excited about school. I am trying to finish up all the interviews I have to do before school starts next Sunday morning. I know that I have at least five more interviews and I hope to get them completed as soon as possible. I had a girl from Jacksonville call me today about the school. She and her husband had been at church on Sunday and they both wanted to move right now. In reality, she has decided to come ahead to the school this year. I can’t image trying to commute from Jacksonville. She will probably have to be up here at least three, maybe four days a week. That’s brutal, especially being married. But she is passionate about coming to the school. Can you imagine the desire it takes to do that? And that’s just one of the stories that I hear daily.

In fact, today I heard six stories. I had six interviews today. I think that is the most that I have had in one day so far. I have one scheduled tomorrow and the rest still have to be scheduled. We are winding down this phase, but the real fun is just about to start. But first we have the Sozo conference at RiverStone. Yes, this is definitely a busy week. We pick up the team from Redding tomorrow and it should be a fun conference.

I see God moving in so many areas right now. It’s like He is playing chess. Moving one piece over here for this move and then over there for another. It’s like He allows us to be drawn into the currents of His river and then washed ashore in some distant land. We want to run, but we know that it is His will in our lives and we have to see this through. I know that I am one of those pieces, and so is Sheryl. It’s like we can’t make a move without impacting something else. I know that I was moving to Bethel Atlanta for my dream of teaching in the school. Then it was to marry Sheryl. But there is so much more. I am beginning to realize that this is part of my destiny that He has been sitting up for years, and that I am at Bethel Atlanta for more reasons than I had ever imagined. That is great, and I give Him any glory for anything that will happen here. I am just glad to be able to be used in any way for His Kingdom. We are definitely Kingdom releasers, where ever we go and what ever we do. At least that is a constant in my life.

Monday, September 5, 2011

The Help

“When you are able to tell your story to someone who wants to listen, it gives you freedom.” That was a quote from one of “the help” toward the end of the movie and I really felt Papa tell me that it was really the most important point of the movie. F you don’t know, “The Help” is a movie about the early 60’s in the south. It’s set in Jackson MS and it centers around the household’s in upper middle class Jackson, and their “help”. Although it seemed pretty stereotypical in how it portrayed most of the southern women, it really was a good movie. I know that as a southerner, these are times that I am not proud of. How can anyone be proud of pushing another race down and degrading them like we did for years and years.

I say we because I lived during this era. I went to an all white high school and attended an all white church. All my friends were white. That’s just the way it was, but it’s still no excuse. When I was growing up, we weren’t wealthy enough to have a maid every day. But I do remember having someone come in at least once a week to iron and clean house. I can remember I was around 8 or 9 and I would go out and play with her son. He was probably one of the few Afro American boys that I ever played with. It was only for a little while, and then he stopped coming over, why I don’t know.

When we were older we did have a maid, but by then we really didn’t need a baby sitter. Her name was Viola, and we liked her a lot, but she had a little problem with gin, and eventually she wasn’t around anymore either. So I grew up on the edge of this. I remember the freedom riders, and the murders and hangings by the KKK. I remember when JFK was killed and I was at Ga. Tech when MLK was killed. I remember the riots in Atlanta and our cook chasing a fraternity brother around the frat house with a knife after he said a crass statement about Dr. King. He really deserved it. Luckily he could run faster and didn’t get hurt.

These women and maids who worked silently in homes for far less than minimum wage were mainly silent. They stayed in the shadows and yet were really so important in the life of the family. Many times they were the glue that held the family together. But their stories were untold. They were trapped in a place in society where they had no place to go. Often times their children would follow them into the same hopeless situation. When you are hopeless, what can give you hope?

Many times it’s a voice, and someone to listen. As believers, we are to bring hope wherever we go. Often that hope is given first by a listening ear. To often we try to give advice or pray when the first and most important thing we need to do is to listen. First, we listen to them because it is the beginning of freedom. Secondly, we listen to Holy Spirit because He will help us understand what the next step in their freedom will be. It’s funny how just telling their stories began to release freedom to “the Help” in Jackson. Freedom, that’s what everyone wants, and so few of us have; even in this great country.

Countdown to School

Well, school starts next Sunday with orientation from 1 – 5PM. Then classes begin in full on Monday night. This is going to be a very busy week. I have at least 12 students to interview, plus we have the advanced Sozo conference at RiverStone on Thursday – Saturday. Luckily I only work at Delta one day next week. We will be up here on the north side all week except for the time when we go down for a Bethel Sozo meeting on Tuesday night. Still it is going to be a very full week.

But I am excited. The beginning of the year and a new class of students is very exciting, especially since I have interview almost everyone of them. They all come with their own story and testimony of His faithfulness. Each one comes with expectations about how Papa will meet then, and from past results, none of them will be disappointed.

Today was a great day. Worship down at Bethel Atlanta was really good, and then Blake Healy preached in Scott’s place because he was sick. He did a great job with the sermon. I hope he gets the opportunity to preach again. His use of humor mixed in with his relevant points kept people tuned in to what he was trying to say. His sermon was on honor, and how that works when you are hurt. It was a great time to hear this message from someone outside the usual cast of characters who usually preach.

Well, it looks like we will get a lot of rain tomorrow. We definitely need it, but it would have been nice to have a holiday that was dry. Well, I can’t complain. Back during the last drought, we needed rain so bad, and from the looks of things we were drifting back into a pretty bad drought. Oh well, it will be OK. I guess we will work in the basement anyway. Well, so much for my ramblings’ tonight. Hopefully tomorrow night I will have something more to say. But I don’t tonight, so I guess I’ll go to bed and get a good night’s rest.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Reflection

We went to a wedding at RiverStone today. Emily and Spencer are both students at BASSM and Emily grew up in the youth group at RiverStone. So for me it was a good homecoming with friends from both churches. When Emily’s dad got up to toast the couple he talked about their wedding being a reflection of Christ. It was a good speech, and got me thinking about the word reflection, and how it is used with us as believers. The definition of Reflection - an image; representation; counterpart.

So what are we a reflection of? We know that the moon is a reflection of the sun. Numerous times in scripture, Jesus said that if you had seen Him, you had seen the Father. In other words, Jesus was a counterpart; an image or a representation of the Father. So it is fair to say that Jesus was a reflection of the Father. By the same process we can come to realize that we are a reflection of Him here on earth.

So, If Jesus is a reflection of His father in Heaven, and then we become His disciples, we are also become reflections of Him. In fact, that is really our main job. Our lives should reflect Him to al that we meet. He left, so that Holy Spirit living through us might multiply the number of those who are like Him. This is one of the ways we are to do the greater works. There will be so many more of us to release the Kingdom of God into the earth that we will expand it even more than He can.

So, where is that reflection over the world? Probably, for the most part, it is locked up in the four walls of churches all over the nation. The reflection is not being released where we can see it; much less release it to the public. It is so true and I have said it in so many different ways over and over. We have to show Jesus to the world through our lives. It’s not enough to pretend to go out, while staying in the comfort of the church. For too long we have been reflecting His glory to each other. It’s time we began to making sure that that glory is released outside the walls. Then and only then will people see the true Christ and begin to come into the truth. We can make a difference, but we have to be willing to press into everything He is doing.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come writers and critics
 Who prophesize with your pen
 And keep your eyes wide
 The chance won’t come again
 And don’t speak too soon
 For the wheel’s still in spin 
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
 For the loser now will be later to win
 For the times they are a-changin’

Come mothers and fathers
 Throughout the land 
And don’t criticize
 What you can’t understand
 Your sons and your daughters
 Are beyond your command
 Your old road is rapidly agin’
 Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
 For the times they are a-changin’

The line it is drawn
 The curse it is cast
 The slow one now
 Will later be fast 
As the present now
 Will later be past 
The order is rapidly fadin’
 And the first one now will later be last
 For the times they are a-changin’

These lyrics were written in 1963 by Bob Dylan and were and popular by Peter, Paul and Mary. I remember singing this song, and in fact I still listen to it. It is one of my favorite songs of all time. Today I was running and listening to worship music and Papa brought this song to my thoughts. As I thought about the lyrics I heard Him say that “These times are changing”. Now I have known this for years, but things are accelerating. The 1960’s brought change in our society that has impacted us for the last 50 years. I really believe that the 2010’s are ushering in such a change that we will not be able to even understand what we were before. The question is this: Will that change be led by the church and usher in a greater measure of the Kingdom? Or will it be like the 60’s and usher a new era of violence and anarchy? We in the church have to become active. It’s not about the church; we have to take the streets.

We as believers have shirked our responsibility for too long. And I am talking about myself here too! If the church would take up it’s call and take to the streets, releasing love in ways that people can understand, it would become a relevant force in society again. But it tends to stay in the buildings while depending on one political party or the other to take care of things. I’m all for engaging in the political system, but that is not going to be the answer in this decade. It is too polarized. It will take a major miracle from God to bring the sides together to get anything done.

No, politics is not the answer, but an activated church. We need a church that releases a body of believers into the street, meeting the needs of all those that they come in contact with. That is the answer to all the problems that we have in this country and the world. Once the believers begin to influence all the areas that they are involved in, then and only then will the Kingdom of God be released in such a manner as to effectively change this culture. Yes, these times they are a-changin’. Which way are they going to change? We are in charge of that decision. Which way will it fall?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Cleaning House

It’s the first of September; I just can’t believe that August just disappeared. The good thing is that it’s time for college football and I love to watch the games as fall goes on. It’s still way too hot, and it sure doesn’t seem like fall is approaching, but it is. School is about to start and things are going to get real busy. Although I really don’t believe that they will be that much busier. It’s just that things will be different. Here we are in September, still driving back and forth from Newnan. Having two places is not very much fun. I keep leaving what I need at the wrong place. I now have a razor and toothpaste in both places, but making sure that I have the right clothes is another matter entirely.

But before we even think about consolidating into one place there are things to do around here; one in particular that I have been putting off for over a year and a half. Well that’s not quite true. It’s moving all of Julia’s clothes out of the basement. I did have the girls and some friends go through them and take what they wanted but there were still so many left. It was easier for a long time just not to think about them. But for the past few months, I knew that they needed to be dealt with. But still, I really didn’t want to do it. I was afraid of the memories they would bring up, and although I love all the good memories, this just seemed too close.

I have tomorrow off, and I knew that I would get off early today. Sheryl is in Franklin Tennessee visiting friends, so it was the perfect time. Then the American Kidney Fund called and said that there would be a truck on my street tomorrow. I was being set up by Papa. I knew that it was time, and today was the day. Even then, I found a way to procrastinate for an hour when I got home, but finally I gathered up my resolve and went down into the deep dark recesses of the basement to gather up all her clothes and put them into bags. I then brought them all outside onto the porch.

It really wasn’t as hard as I had thought it would be. I thought of her an lot, and as I saw certain things, I remembered her wearing them. I saw the Georgia Tech sweater that I got her in 1990 when we went to the bowl game in Orlando and watched Tech beat Nebraska and win the National championship. I thought for a second about keeping that one, but realistically decided against it. I saw a lot of her things that she wore often, but it was all OK. It was doing this that I realized that it was the right time to do it. Papa has a way of working things out. He has given me Sheryl now, and even though these things brought back memories, they weren’t painful. They were just good memories. It’s like He has edited out the pain of the loss, and just left all the good times and fun parts.

God really is so good that He can take our broken hearts and repair them, even when we don’t think that He can. He can do this when we press into Him. If we blame Him, we build walls to protect ourselves and He can’t get in to help heal us. We wind up keeping out the One who can heal. Anyway, I am so thankful that I let Him in, no that He has free reign in my heart. He has healed me and given me love again. Not to replace what I lost, but to add to what I have. I am just blessed beyond measure. So, as I set here tonight there are bags and bags of clothes out on the front porch. They represent part of the old, a very rich and treasured part. Tomorrow they will be gone, because we constantly have to make way for the new.

There is still so much more to do in the basement and it will take much more than a day to get it done, but at least the process has begun. We can move forward now as we begin the time consuming task of preparing to move. I need to downsize some more. Julia and I started the process five years ago. Sheryl and I will have to build on that now. Life is interesting and full of wonderful surprises. It’s hard to know where the next one will pop up.