Monday, October 31, 2011


Well, tonight I am sitting in my rocking chair by the fire writing.  As much as things change, some things stay the same.  It’s the same rocker in a different house by a different fire.  But it is home.  This is the first night I have had to enjoy the furniture and TV in the living room at our new place.  Most things are the same, but with a few additions.  We are in the process of unpacking and consolidating our things.  I know that this will be an interesting time as we decide how everything will fit.  The kitchen is going to be especially hard because we have so much stuff and it is such a small kitchen.
 
For the most part, I think that I am going to like the house.  Sure it’s older and bigger, but it feels good.  I love the sun room, and the living room is workable.  The main issue is going up and down stairs to the bedrooms.   I try to work it so that I limit my trips upstairs and don’t go until I absolutely have to.  Tonight I have been able to stay downstairs.  I should be able to make it until bed time tonight, which isn’t very far away. 

The retreat was awesome, and makes me realize how much I really enjoy being a small group leader.  But as much as I enjoy it, it’s not the right season for that right now.  Maybe it will be in the future, but not right now.  But it is the right season for us to step into all that He wants us to do.  We will be closer rather than father to all that He is doing.  Sheryl’s and my destiny is down here, so it’s good to go ahead and make the move.  This week in Redding, I am looking for more of His word and grace to show us how to move into this next season.  It’s going to be exciting.  I’v been looking since before we started dating, and now it is here.  

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Victory

Ga Tech 31 – Clemson 17!  Wow! That just topped of a super weekend.  It’s been a long but restful day of eating and talking with other home group leaders and watching football.  We also spent some time down by the river around the fire pit.   Tonight I spoke and then I was able to watch the second half of the football game.

God is so good, and it is always fun when Holy Spirit shows up when I speak.  Tonight He was there and once again He directed what I said.  When He leads me, I can’t go wrong, and tonight He was leading and all I had to do is follow.  There was a great time of prayer and impartation afterward .  It was really a fun night.  Then we got to watch Tech beat the number 5 team in the nation.

Tomorrow we will have a morning service and drive back home.  It’s been a great weekend.  It would have been perfect if Sheryl could have been here.  Maybe next time.  I definitely want to come back to this place.  It would be a great place to bring the family and I know that everyone would love it..  This is a place where new life springs up in the spring, but where the autum brings beautiful color.  The leaves are beautiful as you look out across the river during the day.   

Speaking of new life, this year is definitely a year for new life for me.  New live and new beginnings.  These flow out of a time of transition.  The period of transition that I was in has given way to new beginnings and new life.  Just as it has been in my life, I feel that this is right where Bethel Atlanta is as a church.  We have just left a period of transition and are now entering this new life and new beginnings.  It’s going to bw an awesome ride, and I am glad to be a part of it.  God is putting all the pieces into place on His divine chess board.  Let the game begin;  there is victory in Him.  All we have to do is show up to play.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Mountain Retreat

I’m sitting here in a beautiful mountain on the banks of a river near Elijay GA.  We are at a home group leaders retreat.  Tonight our Senior Leader, Steve Hale, spoke on the importance of these Home Group leaders.  Tomorrow night I get to speak to them, and I will probably address some of the same areas that Steve addressed tonight.  In Acts 2:42 – 48, Luke talks about the early church meeting for dinner continually.  It seems that there was more to their fellowship than Sunday morning service.  In 1985, we met a pastor freom Bedford Texas.  He had come to our church and talked about what they were doing with small groups that met during the week.  I still remember it today because it was one of the first times that I ever felt that God spoke to me about others.  He told me that small groups would revelotionalize the church in my lifetime.  He said that church as we knew it was on it’s way out.  Small groups were the key to the future.

I believed Him, and today I see all over the world where it has come to pass.  It is slower to take hold here in America, but it is taking hold.  We started our first home group in 1985 and up ontil this year, I have been leading a group ever since.  Sometimes it was leading leaders of small groups, sometimes the group was focused on prayer.  But we were leading a group.  So I have been involved with small groups of one kind or another for over 26 years.  That’s a long time, and many of those nights, I didn’t want to be involved.  But when I was faithful to allow myself to work in them, He was always faithful to show up.  His love is always capable to reach even the hardest person, if you allow Him to move.

I have learned over the years that it is not about me, or anything I do.  It’s all about inviting His presence into the room.  The supernatural presence of Holy Spirit, that is what brings life.  It was in 1987 when I began to bring the supernatural into the home group.  I have been doing it every meeting since.   I learned it form the Vineyard and their Kinship groups, and it has grown more and more through out the years.  I couldn’t have home group without the presence of God.  So, here I am, praying that Holy Spirit will open up the deep wells that have stored all that has been poured into me over the years,  I’m confident that He will do it.  Tomorrow will be a fun day, and I know that He will show up.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Moving Day


Yesterday was super busy, obviously.  For the second day in a row I had an A period, and then went to bring stuff back down to the house.  When I got home, I had to unload and then we taught last night.  After that we drove back up because the movers were supposed to be there at 7am.  So, last night we spent the night in our house in Dallas for the last time.  I love this house, and I will always have many good memories there, but times are changing and this morning I was up by six looking forward to the move.

So what was the move like?  Today it was one of the smoothest moves I have ever been involved with.  The crew, we had six men and two trucks, was very nice and bent over backwards to do anything that we asked.  The whole day went from 6:30 until about 4:30.  That included moving all the furniture and boxes into the trucks and then driving down to Peachtree City and unloading them.  The unloading was harder because they had to put all the beds back together and do whatever was necessary to put things in order.   Right now, I am bushed and will probably go to bed as soon as I make this post.  It’s good to be in the house although I have misplaced the power cord to my TV.  That is the only casualty of the move.  It’s in one of the many boxes, I’m sure.  The problem is remembering which one.  Hopefully we will find it soon.  At least we have another TV that we can watch.  So, I  think I will sleep in tomorrow morning and then work around the house.  The retreat starts tomorrow night in Ellijay and I hope that they have wifi or at least some cell phone coverage.  But it is in the mountains, so that’s doubtful.  

I’m really too tired to think tonight, but it’s a good tired.  I’m happy to have the main part of the move complete.  Sure we have a lot of boxes to unpack and pictures to hang but everything is down here.  We are definitely in now and that is the main thing.  So, God is Good, and His love has been carrying us this week.   Well, He’s going to have to carry me through this weekend as I speak on Saturday night.  But He will do it.  He is strong and His strength is manifest in my weakness.  So it will be a good weekend as well.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Time is Slipping Away


Wow, it’s been a long, fast day.  I worked an Aperiod this morning then went up to the house and packed up some more.  I brought a load of stuff down to Peachtree City.  Then we  went looking for golf carts again and actually bought a used one.  So I drove that home and then went to school.  It doesn’t sound like much, but I never stopped the whole day.

So tomorrow I do it again.  Basically the same schedule.  But instead of being at school, Sheryl and I are teaching our sozo class tomorrow night.  It will be a fun day, but definitely another busy day.  Bobby said that we should live every day as if it were our last.  I’m definitely filling every waking minute.  The problem is that right now I’m filling some sleeping minutes too.  I’m thankful that I have cut off so much of my drive time.  I’m saving almost an hour each way going to school.  That’s awesome!  I’m also saving at least a half of an hour going to work each way.  So that gives me more time to spend actually doing something productive.

Don’t worry, I know that this pace can’t be maintained.  Believe me, I don’t want it to.  As soon as the move is over I think it will get back to some form of normalcy pretty quick.   So, that’s a quick update for tonight.  Hopefully I will have time for some deeper revelations later on this week.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Moving, The Spiritual Aspects


I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone should be forced to move at least every two years.  Paul says that we should “throw off every encumbrance that hinders us from running the race.”  Well, moving is a great way to throw off “encumbrances”.  I’m looking at stuff in my basement that I haven’t looked at since I put it in the basement six years ago.  It is amazing how much junk we accumulate over time.  Today we were back at the house and we loaded up another load in the Envoy.  Tomorrow after my A period I wlii go back up and bring down another load.  I really should be getting rid of more that I am, but I have a half of a garage full of stuff for the Salvation Army as it is.

Moving is like baptism.  It is similar to a death of the old and bringing life to the new.  It is amazing how God allows us to shut off our emotions toward a house as we begin to move out of it.  I wonder if that is what it will be like when we die.  After all, we, our Spirit, are just changing locations.  That’s like moving isn’t it?  So if death is similar to moving, no wonder we hate moving.

Moving also offers us an opportunity to look back at the past even as we look to the future. We see that things that worked well in the old house don’t work so well in the new one.  This makes us make needed changes in our lives based upon new needs and desires.  So as we are in the middle of this move, a lot of things get stirred up.  That’s really pretty good, it allows us to jettison some things that we really don’t need  and pick up some of the things that we really do need.  Well, that’s all for tonight since I have an early period tomorrow.  

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Are You Hungry?


The question that keeps ringing through my head is this.  How much of God do I really want?  I say that I want as much of Him as I can have, but do I really? Am I hungry enough for more of His presence manifested in my life that I am willing to do what ever it takes to see Him work?  I don’t know.  I think so, but I don’t know.  But when I ask Holy Spirit I get the same answer.  Just be willing to do what I say when I say it.

You see, if I spend all my time naval gazing, I will never move into more of Him.  Instead I will spend all of my time wondering if I can.  But I know that it is in my weakness that He manifest my strength.  So, if I am willing to take that one step.  That one little step out of my comfort zone today, then my comfort zone expands.  Pretty soon my comfort zone includes more of the Kingdom, and so much more of His presence and power. 

Today we had Bobby Conner for church.  Then we got to attend a supper where he spoke to us as a leadership group.  He told us as a church to make our plans as if money was no object, Then when God provided, we will already be a step ahead in the process.  I believe the same should be said for our destiny.  Make plans as if God will provide everything we need. Not only money, but gifting and anointing.  If He has called  you to do it, He will provide a way for you to do it.   Most of the problem we have is really in the timing.  We are in the McDonald’s generation. We want it now.  God is restoring the Caleb generation.  I know that I am a part of this generation.  Caleb’s victory was delayed 40 years.  40 years of hope deferred.  Yet when the time came, he was ready willing and able.

We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves or moving into disappointment and despair because we don’t see the instant victory.  We have to realize that we are in process, and just because we have a road map, we don’t know the time or season as well. Caleb was always ready willing and able.  So what if we wait 40 years to see the victory, there is no loss.  It’s all about the process and the journey.  He will provide the timing.  We must stay ready, willing and able.  Age is no barrier in the Kingdom.  It’s really all about doing what we can when we can.  It’s all about being vulnerable and open to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our life, today was a great day, and tomorrow night at school is going to be awesome.  It’s great to be alive in this time on the earth. 

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Life Gets in the Way


Sometime life just happens too fast and you are just too busy.  That’s what the last two days have been like.  I really wanted to write, but I just didn’t have the time or the strength to get it done.   It all started on Thursday when I worked a double shift at Delta and then went home only to change clothes and go to the church offices to have a sozo appointment.  It’s funny, the sozo appointment canceled as I got there and I thought I was going to have some free time to rest and catch up while I waited for Sheryl to complete her sozo appointment.

But I was surprised to find out that a student really needed ministry.  I can’t go into details, but it wound up taking until about 1AM.  Sheryl and I went with another couple to minister and it was at least 1AM when we got to bed.  That wouldn’t have been that bad, but we had to drive up to my house early the next morning to start packing boxes for the move.  I would have delayed it except that we had hired four students to help us pack, and I know that they were coming. 

So we were really tired when we got up the next morning.   Starbucks was open so we didn’t have to make coffee.  We got right on the road and we were able to be at the house by 7:30.  In fact, two of the guys drove up just as we were getting out of the car.  Perfect timing for sure.  So we were packing boxes all day from 7:30 until almost 5PM.  By then, we were both exhausted.  I had been trying to help sort through as it was packed and that was almost a full time job.  We had set up a dinner with Peter and Masha weeks before, and it was good to see them, but after we left their house, we just came back and crashed.  So I didn’t get to write.   But I am learning a lot as I pack.

The main thing is that your home is really where your heart is, not where you have lived for so many years.  I don’t mean that I am disregarding friends, but I’m talking about the house itself.  My house up north is no longer my home. It’s just a house.  I realized that as we were packing.  It was the first time that I had ever really verbalized that and it hit me that my ”home” was now at Fieldstone Lane and not Longwood Crossing.  It just shows how little it really matters about physical and material things.  It’s all a matter of the heart.  So, tonight I am home writing this by the fire thanking the Father for his love and provision to give me a home no matter where I am. 

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Releasing the Kingdom


Tonight Sheryl and I started our Sozo class for the members of the church.  Our heart is to empower as many people as we can to release the Kingdom through healing wounds and lies.  When we decided to have this class, we would have been happy to have 20 – 30 people, but we were amazed when 60 signed up for the class and even more amazed when 70 showed up tonight.  We were packed in the room that we had, but it was a great night.  Holy Spirit showed up and we were able to teach under the anointing.  It’s always better when it’s not up to me.  Sheryl did a great job too.  Then we ended with impartation and a “fire tunnel”. 

It’s all about “the one”.  If we go after “the one” we will wind up getting them all.  Jesus left the 99 to go after the 1.  Kingdom transformation is always about the one.  We can’t give away what we don’t have, so first it’s about us.  But then it’s about the next one and the one after that.  It’s not about “notches on your belt”.  It’s about relationships and sharing relationships.  If we really want to spread the Kingdom, then we have to learn to love people like Jesus loved.  We normally have a hard time with that.  Our idea is to clean people up and then love them.  Jesus loved them first, and then they wanted to clean up.

Zacchaeus is a prime example.   A tax collector was one of the most despised people of his day.  Yet Jesus went to his house for dinner.  It was only after that encounter with Jesus that he gave back everything he had stolen.  Jesus didn’t demand it, but because of Jesus’ love everything changed.  That’s an excellent example for us.   We need to be willing to love and accept people where they are and love them into the Kingdom.  Once they encounter Jesus and get into relationship with Him, they will want to change. 

So the idea of training 70+ people how to bring freedom to individuals really excites me.  In the Kingdom of God, it’s not about addition, but multiplication.  Tonight we began a great time of multiplication.  It was fun, and it’s only going to get better.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Love, Love, Love


Remember the Beetles song “ All you need is love”?  Well, that song would be a great theme song for our night at school tonight.  It seemed like every speaker and every thing we did was focused on the love of God.  Of course it seems like we do that most nights, and rightly so.  But tonight was even more focused.  First we had more outreach training.  Heidi Dawson spoke about seeing everyone you come in contact with through Papa’s eyes.  She did an amazing job.  She really activated and engaged the crowd.  Her main theme was that we had to know how much we were loved before we could give His love away.

Then we had our Boiler Room AMT.  It was another amazing night there as well.  We had the “Eagle Six” come and teach on prophetic intercession.  They are the main intercessory group of the church.  Sheryl is one of them, and they did a great job teaching and sharing about intercession.  Their main focus and foundation is the Love and Goodness of God.  They are called “Eagle Six” because when they were prophesying and declaring out on the rock at Moravian falls, they looked up and there were six eagles circling above the six of them.  What are the chances of that happening in the natural?  Probably not much.

Anyway, they were filled with wisdom and were able to impart much into the students.  They answered questions that really opened up doors of understanding.  Then we had a time of soaking, hearing God and declaring over all that He said.  The AMT went on until almost 10 PM.  It was really a good night.  I didn’t have a lot to do.  I sat on a panel with Steve and Scott to answer questions about the Prince or Pauper video that we saw last night and finished up with tonight.  It was a good time with lots of good questions. 

I really think some of the first year students are finally getting the idea that it’s all about learning who they are.  You have to know who you are before you can figure out where you are going.  That is one of the hardest things to do because it causes you to question almost everything that you have been taught in the past.  This is true especially if you grew up in a traditional church.  Most traditional churches wind up focusing on behavior rather than relationship.  So, if your behavior doesn’t measure up, then you are deemed to be not worthy.  In reality, it’s not about behavior.  Your behavior can not be totally right, but without the right relationship, you will still be lost.  Most men look on the externals, but He focuses on the internal, which leads to the external.  If we are in Him, then every bad behavior is totally hidden by His blood.  So it really is all about love, love, love.  It was really a great night.     

Monday, October 17, 2011

Prince or Pauper


It’s all about identity.  How can I release healing and the love of the Father if I don’t know my significance and worth?  I am a child of the King, a Prince who carries all the authority of the Father.  But how many times do I count myself down and settle for so much less than I should.  Isn’t that the way we all are?  I think that is the main way that the enemy keeps us from really establishing the Kingdom here.  If we don’t believe we have authority, we won’t use it.  It’s sort of like having money in a bank account.  I could have a million dollars sitting in an account, but if I didn’t access it, it would be like I never had it.

This and other questions were what we were going after at school tonight.  These are some of the most important questions that we can ask`.  It’s like we have two salvations.  The first is being saved FROM sin.  The second is being saved TO our destiny as princes and princesses.  Of course there is only one salvation, but it is both FROM and TO.  The problem with most believers is that they only know that they have been saved FROM something but they don’t realize that they have been saved TO something.  So after they are saved, they just wait around for the “sweet by and by”. 

That’s just what Satan wants.  He is one generation of believers away from being brought down.  If we, the church, would just get the TO part, then in one generation we could fulfill the great commission and the return of Christ would be upon us.  But if the enemy can keep us only focusing on being saved FROM sin, then He wins again.  I say “Not on My Watch”.  We all need to take responsibility to begin to train and disciple believers who know who they are.  We need to know that we have been called to disciple nations and take cities.  That is our calling.  To settle for anything less is unacceptable.  We can change a nation in a day.  It’s all done with Him as King and under His authority.  It’s not something we can do by ourselves.  It’s done with His supernatural gifting.  But we are His kids, and we have that authority and His power.  Let’s get  ‘er done!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Missing Birthdays

Tonight I just want to spend a little time reflecting in one of my sister’s birthdays.  Today is her birthday, the only thing is, she isn’t around to see it.  She died a few years ago.  That wasn’t supposed to happen.  She is the youngest of the four of us, and you kind of figure that she would outlive us all.  But life, and death, seem to have a way of surprising us.  It seems like we should know better.  I mean, the older we get, the more we should realize that nothing is set in stone, and everything is subject to change.

I loved my sister, although I probably didn’t show it very much.  She was the youngest, and always was sort of a pest for me while I was in high school and college.  Growing up, she always seemed to be on the edge of getting in trouble, but never quite making it.  She was very lovable and always playful.  She was always out for fun, and could usually find it.  Being her older brother, I wound up driving her around a lot when she was in the early years of High School.  That probably did a lot to damage our relationship.  I remember when we lived in Loch Lomond.  I lived down in the basement and all three sisters were upstairs in their bedrooms.  I was so glad to be downstairs and out of the daily drama that happens between sisters.
In college, Thurla would come with some of her friends and crash some of our fraternity parties.  She was welcome by everyone but me and I didn’t want her there.  I just didn’t want my sister around me in college.  I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but I probably did.  Anyway, Thurla did one very special thing for me.  She got me a blind date with Julia.  They had worked together at Six Flags.  I normally wouldn’t have anything to do with any of Thurla’s friends.  But for some strange reason this night I accepted the date.  The rest is history.  So I owe Thurla a lot, and for many years I tried to make it up to her.  I did love her, but continually I found myself judging her.  Today, I would be much different.  But Julia and I both loved her and tried to work with her.

We especially loved her husband Emory.  Emory was a fine man and he really loved Thurla.  He seemed to bring out all the best parts, and was very patient with her when the she wasn’t as good.  They had two sons, Gil and Matt.  Both boys grew up to be fine young men and I love them both.  But Emory was killed in an accident on I 285 and that seemed to knock Thurla’s life for a loop.  In fact it was such a loop she never seemed to fully recover. 

Life sometimes doesn’t play out the way we anticipate it and that was the case with my sister’s.  She was so loving and would do anything for you.  Her idea was always to help.  She had more love to give than I will ever have.   I loved her, and miss her.  Today is her birthday, and I want to honor her memory.  I remember talking with her right before she died.  Her focus was on us and her two boys.  She wanted them to have everything that she had been unable to give them.  She had raised them as a single mother for most of their lives, and she had done a good job.  They didn’t get everything that they wanted, but they got love, and a lot of what they needed from her.

So, Sis, tonight I honor you and close this by just saying Happy Birthday!  On the really important things, you did pretty good! 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

On Down, One To Go


Well, here we tonight, with a real bed in our new home.  The move from Sheryl’s to here was painless.  We were done in two hours.  It helped that we had almost all the boxes and her clothes already packed.  Schott, Oren, Hector and myself got all of the furniture loaded and unloaded and then we all went to lunch at Mellow Mushroom,  It was a good day with friends and family.  Speaking of family I got to talk with both Lisa and Jennifer today so I was glad to get to hear from them too.

This afternoon I got to try out that loop for a run.  It was a beautiful day, and it is a beautiful run of about 3.5 miles.  It’s very pretty, but it is pretty hilly also.  Anyway, it is going to be a good route to get a good workout.   I haven’t had such a close place since I moved away from the national park.  Anyway, it’s great to be able to just go outside and have such a great place to run.

I guess the real question is how is it going to be to live in a totally different part of the city when all of my friends that I have had forever still live up there?  The answer is, I don’t know.  I know that some days will be easy, and others will be harder.  It’s life, and life continues to bring change.  I love Sheryl, and I know that we need to be down here, so we are.  We will have to make a conscious effort to see each other.  But we have been friends for a long time, and our friendships will not end.  But being in this house makes me realize how right we are to be moving.  I love my old house, I really do, and Sheryl was a trooper being willing to stay in it.  But we need a place where we can become us, who we are now.  To stay for years in the other house would have not been fair for her.  She never said anything and she would have been fine with it, but I know now that we are doing the right thing.

S, we have one move down and one to go.  Sure the first was the easiest, but in many ways it was the hardest because it took a pushing out of our comfort zones to make it happen.  So, here we are.  I have to work early tomorrow, but I will save almost 30 minutes on driving each way.  That’s when there is no traffic.  What’s not to like about that.  It will only take me about 15 minutes to get to school.  It’s going to be great in that regard also.  So here we are, looking like it will be a great time.  I know that it will.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Camping Out


No, we are not out in the woods, or on some river-rafting trip.  I wish we were, it would be much more fun.  Instead, we are camping out in our house in Peachtree City.  It’s not too bad, we have TV and internet.  What we don’t have is furniture, yet.  Tomorrow we move all of Sheryl’s stuff over.  At least then we will have a bed.  Tonight it is an air mattress.   Sheryl’s already asleep on it so, hopefully, it isn’t that bad.  I will find out in a few minutes.

You might be wondering how we came to be here tonight.  Well, it was a matter of choice.  Really it was my choice.  This morning I drive from Newnan up to the house in Dallas.  I had to be there to get an estimate.  Then I had to drive back to the airport.  The choice was to stay in our new place with no furniture and sleep on the air mattress, or drive back to Newnan where we had no TV and the internet is going crazy.  It was really about the shorter drive more than anything.  It was good to get home in about 30 minutes.  So, I think I will sleep very well tonight.

We have to be over at the place in Newnan tomorrow at 9:30 AM.  Hopefully we will have enough help and we can move everything in one trip.  Then we can spend the weekend getting settled here so that the big move can take place.  I didn’t know that I had so much stuff.  The moving estimate was aver 16000 lbs.  That fills almost two trucks.  It is going to be something to see everything happen right. 

The house feels good.  Spiritually it seems pretty clean and I can’t wait to really move in and get settled.  I think tomorrow afternoon, Sheryl and I will walk through the house and pray over it.  My desire is that the presence of the Holy Spirit  be so strong that we all begin to just worship Him when we move into this area.  Anyway that’s my heart,  I know that it will be fun tomorrow and I am looking forward really settling in.  I already have my first route for my first run here in the city. 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes

This is supposed to be the easy move.  We are just packing a studio apartment and it seems overwhelming.  I can’t even imagine what it is going to be like when we start on my house.  Then we have to unpack and sort out two houses.  It’s not going to be a fun thing to do.  These next few weeks are going to be very interesting.  So, I am sitting here in the midst of boxes and stuff.  Tomorrow is Friday and I do have to run up to the north before work.  I meet two moving companies for estimates.  It is only for the furniture, I still have to move the boxes and all the loose stuff.

As I reread last nights post I realized how tired I was when I was writing.  I shouldn’t write when I am that tired, but I wanted to write last night. I might have to stop the nightly posts until the move is over.  I’ll pay it by ear.  I must have fell asleep in mid sentence to end the post.  I guess that I just stopped.   Anyway, I will try to be more coherent.  It’s been a busy day.   I worked from 9AM to 3PM and then we went by the house to unpack.  After that we went to dinner and then to the church office where we both were involved with Sozoes tonight.  That was really good.  I wasn’t looking forward to it because of all that I had to do, but it’s so great when Holy Spirit shows up and someone walks out in freedom.  That’s what happened tonight.

I’m writing this after helping Sheryl pack some more boxes and moving some of them down to the Envoy.  I think that almost all of them are packed now and we will see what Scott get’s done tomorrow.  Tonight it was great to hear Papa say that He loved me even while I was trying to hear Him for the person that I was praying with.  I know that He is in charge of this move too. Come what may, everything will work out.  Of course it might not be on our time frame.  Well, it is late, and I have to get up early so I think I will call it a night while I can still think straight.  Goodnight.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The Move Begins

Today I was off, I mean really off. There was no school, no meetings and no work. I was completely off. It was a good thing too because I was so busy. This morning I packed the Envoy full of boxes and the TV and DVD from Sheryl’s. Oh yes, we can’t forget the table that the TV was sitting on. Then I went to see if the ATT service guy was going to show up. He did show up, on time and did a very good job. I was at the house all day long, and the longer I was there, the more comfortable I was. It is very peaceful, and I know that we are really going to enjoy it.

After Sheryl came over, we went on a walk on the cart path nearest our house, It’s going ti be a great place to run and ride bikes, We had a great walk before we had to leave. I know that we are really going to love being here. So we are really starting the move. It’s going to be a wild couple of weeks and I hope that it will go fast because it is not going to be fun at all. The plan is to answer the Lords call in every area and hope that we can still get all the move done. I am praying that He will help me manage all my time wisely so that this will be able to fall into place. If we can actually move the furniture down from the house in Dallas on the 27th, that will be a day ahead of our community group leaders retreat, and five days ahead of the Soxo Summit.

You know the beat thing about all of this? I’m not really responsible and I know that if any of these are you Papa, then you will work it out. So, I’m about where I should be. I know that it worth staying up to see some things,. But it’s late and I really need to work in the morning, so I’m going after all year

The Boiler Room is Hot!

Sorry about last night. By the time I got home from school, I was toast and just didn’t have anything to say. School was awesome. Worship was great, and Steve had a good message. Then we watched Bill Johnson talk about impartation and the importance if honoring speakers for their gifting. He ended with talking about the Toronto Revival and outpouring that began in 94 and is still going on today. As he talked, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit’s presence growing in the room. I knew that Holy Spirit wanted to move, as after the video came up and had everyone stand up. Then I just asked the Holy Spirit to have his way. The presence of the Holy Spirit fell on the group and you could see wave after a wave of His presence move among the students. I knew that with a little more exhortation we would have been there for another hour. But I also had to honor the time frame of the school, so I didn’t pursue stirring up the gifts and anointing, instead I just let the students bask in the glow of His presence.

Tonight was just as good. Scott taught on Outreach and then we practiced words of knowledge. The students really did a good job, and it was a fun night. But the best thing tonight was our AMT “The Boiler Room”. The Boiler Room is our prayer AMT and it runs for 5 weeks. Tonight was the second week and it focused on justice and the heart of God for our land and our people. I spoke on Divine Justice and how we first had to understand who God is, and what is His real nature. God is good; He is in a good mood. He doesn’t give Satan permission to take us out or harass us. The scripture calls Satan a thief. If I have a car and give you permission to take it, then I can’t call you a thief. God doesn’t’ give permission. It is not His will that any should perish. In Hebrews Jesus is called the exact replication of the Father. So you could say that Jesus Christ is the perfect representation of Gather God. Therefore Jesus Christ is perfect theology. He never did anything but heal the sick. His last words were to forgive those who put Him to death, not to judge them.

For too long, the church has been trying to legislate morality instead of trying to build a heart connection to the Father. If we are in relationship, then keeping that relationship becomes a top priority and we don’t want to break it. Sin breaks the relationship so we find ourselves not wanting to sin because of the importance of relationship. This is as important in marriage as it is in our relationship with Him. It’s our love for Him and the relationship that we have that keeps us from sinning, not rules and laws. We as believers are not sinners; we are saints. We don’t have to sin. It’s not our nature anymore.

Tonight we closed the boiler room by declaring and decreeing over the land. WE were speaking truths into existence and praying the heart of the Father into this area. It was an awesome time, and we were all blessed by the presence of the Father.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Who Do You Trust?

I know that I am showing my age, but I remember watching a TV show going up and the title was “Who Do You Trust?” It was a quiz show, and it was fun to watch, but I really don’t remember anything else about it. I do know that it was in Black and White, so it was before the days of color TV. Yes, that was along time. I remember when we got our first color TV. There were only two or three shows on that were in color. Bonanza was ne of them, and every Sunday night, Dad would let us stay up well b=past our bedtime to watch it. It was amazing. How time flies! Now we have big flat screen HD and even 3D TV’s. It’s really hard to believe all that has changed.

Anyway, back to the title. “Who do you trust?” could have been a great sermon title for Scott’s message this morning. He really nailed it, and it made me stop and reflect on a lot of things. Who am I trusting right now? Really, am I trusting myself more than God? Am I trusting others, my work, my wife, my children? There are many questions that need to be asked, but more importantly, answered. I never really thought about it for years. Many years I lived thinking that I was trusting God for all my provision. In reality, I was trusting Delta Air Lines. They were really my financial source, but I thought that I was trusting Papa. After I retired, it didn’t take me a long time to realize that I was really not trusting God, but I was rather trusting my company. Going into retirement, I was still trusting Delta.

When it looked like they were going to go bankrupt, instead of turning to God, I turned to myself with not very good results. It was only when Delta went bankrupt and canceled my retirement did I realize that I wasn’t really trusting Papa for my provision. Once I realized this, I repented and asked for forgiveness. Since then I have learned that I had to trust God for my provision. But what about other areas.

There are so many unknowns in life, and we have to deal with each of them as they come up. How do we do this? I believe it is by constantly asking Holy Spirit to evaluate our hearts. The bible says that we cannot know our own heart, and that is so true. The object is not to enter into a life of naval gazing, but of allowing Holy Spirit to look at our motives to see the truth and the quick repentance.

We can’t trust ourselves. We can’t look to men for our answers. Papa can use men, but they are not the source, and we shouldn’t look at them of the answers. They can help, but they really can’t heal. That takes years to get over unless you know how to come back to the main source. If we continue to press into Him, He will show us what things we need to let go in order to hear Him better. So, today, ask Holy Spirit, if you dare. Holy Spirit, are there are areas where I am trusting others instead of you? Don’t be afraid, He will tell you.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Rite of Passage

Today we went to some friends house for a celebration. They were celebrating their youngest son’s passage form childhood into manhood. He was 12 years old. The ceremony was similar to that fo a Jewish ceremony in that it celebrated the same thing. It is also an African tradition. Since the couple was African American, that made sense too.

Too ofren we don’t realize when seasons change. We move into the next season without realizing it and wind up missing out and not understanding what is going on. Jeremiah was celebrated today. It was all about Him and him learnoing how to follow his heart. It was about him learning to lead and to hear. If words make worlds, and they certainly do, then it was about speaking forth his destiny as we seek to see what is going on.

I love to see strong families. Families are what God uses to help bring His kingdom here on earth. I am amazed to see how they function, and most of all to see how they nuture and protect each other. Papa loves families, but even more, He loves to see how families react to the Kingdom of God when they see it. So, it was a good day, but I am very tired, so I think I’ll call it a night. Hopefully I will have something better tomorrow.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Getting Sandwiched

Today was really a good doay. I was able to sleep until 8 and then I got up u get some things done. I didn’t seem to get to much accomplished however and soon I had to leave for work. I had a C period that started at 1:40 and was supposed to end around 7PM. Anyway, I was there for the duration. I wasn’t worried, I had tomorrow off and then I had to work a C period on Sunday. Well, about halfway into my brief, I found out that they really needed me to work tomorrow. They didn’t really have anyone else. Since I was at work, they could ask me and I would have to give them a rely. So, I decided to do it. I knew that it meant yet another day of work, when all I ready needed some time off, but Delta has been good to me, and it’s great to be able to repay them when I can.

So, I am being “sandwiched”. That meant that you finish a period and have to be back at work less than 12 hours from the time we ended one sim until the other period began. It’s really hard to do, and I hope that it doesn’t happen very much. But right now, we have to make up for the loss of the sim last week. So, I’m getting up around 3:15 tonight for tomorrow.

Then I work a C period on Sunday afternoon as well. It’s going to be another busy week. So, I’m tired, it’s late so I think I’ll call it a night. Hopefully I will have more to write about when I come home after the A period tomorrow. But until them, I don’t have much time. They are pushing community and I know that is a great need. So I will be prayer that the everything Papa wants accomplished, So, good night, I think I will go to bed. 3AM does come early.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Free to Run; Free to Ride

Sheryl told me as I was driving back up north, “So, you are going to have a me day”. I thought for a minute and then I said to her that she was right. I was going to have a “me” day. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. It just sort of happened. But I am glad that it did. The day started off with an early morning A period. I was up at 3:15 and at work by 5AM. The good news is that today I was finished before 10. So I drove up to the house, stopping at Costco for gas and a few other things. Then I got to the house and unloaded. I had some things to do around the house before I was able to do any of the “me” things.

But finally around 1:15 I was able to go out for a 40 minute run. In the old days, that would be about 4 miles, but I’m slower and heavier now, so I know it was less than that. But it didn’t matter, it was fun and it was freedom. I have been so busy the last few days that I haven’t been able to schedule a run in. Running sets my spirit free. When I run, I can pray, talk to God or just zone out. I usually do a little of each. So today as I was running, I was enjoying the beautiful day and lovely weather. It was like I was getting a treat just to be able to be out in the sun feeling the wind at my face and the sweat running down my face. After the run, I cooled ddown and drank some water, then I got by boots and jeans on and went for a ride on my Harley.

Now riding my Harley on the back roads, looking out at farmland and pasture land filled with cows, seeing lakes and streams. That is really freedom. Today, I saw all of that. I was riding in a shout sleeve T-shirt, but I had my helmet, glasses and gloves ( well, really half gloves). But that really did feel like freedom. Riding with the wind at you face, leaning into curves as you go after your heart. It was a lot of fun. I wound up riding almost two hours. I went north, on the back roads into Cartersville and then through Cartersville up to the Harley Davidson store. There I looked around for a while and bought a couple of T-Shirts. Then I rode back. What I have learned during my rides is that I can have as much or more fun riding 35 mph on curvy back roads as going 65 on a main highway. In fact, I love the curvy slow roads better. You can get a look at the scenery better and everything seems to be about the journey and not the destination.

Anyway, I finished the night off watching a movie. I watched Transformers – dark side of the moon. It was OK. It did have a lot of special effects, but the plot wasn’t that great. I’ve seen better movies so I’m glad that I didn’t spend the money to see it at the theater. I guess it was a me day. But it was a day of once again feeling the freedom to press into all that God has for me, and freedom to be willing to do whatever it is He called me to do. I know that it was a good day, an relaxing day, and I needed on of those very badly.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

I’m sitting here typing on my MacBooK. It is a wonderful computer, totally user friendly. It has an operating system OS X that doesn’t freeze or have any virus attacks. I just talked to Lisa in Alaska on my IPhone. It’s probably the best smart phone that has ever been made. It continually is upgraded and syncs very easy with the computer. I use my IPad at work. I have over 50 pounds of manuals downloaded into this little 1.5 pound machine that is totally awesome. I have an IPod at home that I listen to all my music on in the living room. You might say that Steve Jobs has invaded my life.

In reality, he didn’t invade my life, he just dreamed about things that no one else dreamed about. But even more, he was willing to act on those dreams. Because of his action and innovation, Apple went from a company that almost went bankrupt to the world’s most important company today. Its stock is selling for over 400 dollars a share. It shows how powerful dreams can be, especially when you are willing to act on them.

Someone said on Facebook tonight that: “Steve Jobs had vision while the rest of the world wore bifocals.” I like that quote a lot because it is so true. While everyone was buying PC’s and Windows, Steve was envisioning how to make his Apple products, especially his Mac computers. He persevered when he came back to Apple when it was in such bad condition. One of the main things that I really love about what he did was his commitment to customer service. I have never gone into an Apple store and walked away disappointed, unless they were sold out of what I wanted.

So, tonight I honor a man that lead the way in vision and changing how people live and work. We as believers can take and learn a lot about dreaming and risking from him. I pray for his family tonight, and I pray that he was a believer. I know nothing about his personal life. He has been fighting cancer for about five years while he was releasing the IPhone and IPad. Even in sickness, he was producing. He was such an example and inspiration to us all. God Bless you Steve Jobs, you will be missed.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Boiler Room

I’ve heard this phrase before: “Prayer is the engine that drives the ship”. The “ship” meaning the church, of course. In reality, prayer is so much more than that. Prayer is really connecting our hearts to Papa’s heart and declaring His will over the earth. My roots in prayer go back to the early 90’s. That’s when we met Tony and Sandra Cavener. As much as we learned about the prophetic in those years, we learned even more about prayer and prophetic intercession.

I can remember those early nights of all night prayer and worship. They were the early boiler rooms, even before IHOP was beginning their 24/7 prayer movement. We would have the worship team singing and Tony would be leading the charge, going after the Kingdom of God. We were praying Kingdom prayers, even back then. We were going after God’s heart and not going after all the bad things that the enemy was doing on the earth.

Tonight in the “Boiler Room” AMT, I was reminded of those early days, and my introduction into intercession. Prophetic intercession is hearing God’s heart and then declaring it over an area that you are praying about. It seldom actually prays against the problem, instead it pray’s in the goodness of God to displace the problem. Think of a glass filled with coke. It looks brown and dirty. If your prayers are focused on the coke, then the glass will still be full of brown liquid. But, if you begin to pray in the goodness of God and it looks like clear water, eventually al the brown liquid will be displaced by clear water.

That’s what happens in the spirit when we begin to pray what Papa wants to see over an area. Our words are powerful, especially when they come in the form of declarations. Words make worlds, and we can change the world as we speak His goodness into the worst of situations. That’s our goal in the Boiler Room; to seek the heart of God on a matter and then declare it until it comes to pass. Come to pass it will, because He is powerful to perform His word, and if He wants it declared, then He will make sure that it comes to pass. Tonight was a taste of the new, with the memory of the old. It was like having the new rich ice cream on top of an aged chocolate pie. It was the best of both. I’m excited to see what Papa is going to do over the next few weeks as we go after His heart in many of the needy areas of our city and nation.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Teaching vs Exhortation

It was a fun night tonight. Worship started slow, but picked up as the time went on and ended very well. I felt that I came in with a lot of baggage in spirit that I had to brush off before I was able to really enter in. But once it got going, it felt like the room cleared and we were all able to enter into His presence. After worship I was the speaker. Like I wrote last night, I was supposed to speak on identity. As I prepared this message, I really felt that Papa said it was going to be different. As I prepared my talk, I had many, many scriptures. In fact I probably had 15 or so written out.

My natural speaking style is one of exhortation. I love to activate people into their destiny, and exhortation is the style that seems to work best for me. Normally when I prepare a talk, I only use one, maybe two scriptures to emphasize the points that I am trying to make. My speaking style is fairly dynamic, and I can hold the attention of the room pretty well. When the anointing kicks in, then it really can be very good. It’s not me, because without the anointing of the Holy Spirit it can be very bad too.

I have tried teaching before, but for the most part I have stayed away from it because it just doesn’t fit my style. It seems too slow, and too cumbersome. I have tried it. But it just hasn’t seemed to work for me, and I haven’t felt the anointing of the Holy Spirit on this type of speaking before. So, even though I might be teaching a subject, most of my talks usually wind up as exhortations about the points that I want to teach on. This has worked pretty well in the past and I figured it would be the way I prepared and spoke tonight.

But, I always try to listen to Holy Spirit, and I try to be obedient to what I hear Him say. This morning as I began to finalize my talk I felt Him tell me that He actually wanted me to use a teaching style in my talk tonight. I felt that He wanted me to use a lot of scriptures and then fill in the talk with examples and calling out what He wanted to do in us individually and as a group. I knew that this would be different, and if I were to do this, then it would be very different from any of my past lessons. But I also knew that if He were calling me to do this, then He would be happy to release His anointing over me as I taught. So, I prepared accordingly, knowing that it would be very different.

During worship, Sheryl had a picture of me just taking my heart out and opening it to share with the students. This confirmed to me the way that I was leading tonight. I did open my heart, and was very vulnerable as I laid out the lies that we hear and believe about ourselves and then laid out the truth of who we are in Christ. This truth was proved over and over again as I read scripture after scripture as we pressed into more of Him. It was neat, because even though my delivery was slower and more deliberate, the mission and the anointing was still the same. My goal was to activate the students as well as show them who they really are. It was a success and I learned that I could be a teacher if and when Papa told me to. I learned that He does give even more giftings. It seems like He has given me a teaching anointing now as well. I know that I will use it more. God is good, and His gifts are irrevocable. Yes, it was a very good night