NOTES TO SELF

Mike and I had the opportunity to go to The Voice of the Apostles conference which is held for three days in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was an awesome time of refreshing and worship, and a much needed time of learning God's Word in a new and profound way. Here are some of the notes that I took during Bill Johnson's workshop:

1. The Bible doesn't tell us to humble our brother, it tells us to humble ourselves.
2. We, as the body of Christ, have been given and called to the ministry of reconciliation; which means that we don't count their sins against them. By them, I mean other people.
3. We can stand in the place of intercession for those who because of sin, judgement is their portion.
4. Jesus came to show us what one right man can do when He is in the perfect will of God.
5. We are to prophesy according to our faith, while re-defining the nature of God's goodness to the world.
6. There has to be action that is equal to words when giving a presentation of the gospel.
7. Satan undermines revival by poisoning the minds of people.
8. The pathway to idolatry is fear - Israel turned to Baal because Baal promised prosperity.
9. We cannot use human tools to bring about supernatural manifestations.
10. We cannot win the world through a debate on religion, there must be a declaration of power.
11. The questions you have, have no power unless you empower them.
12. Not every battle is worth fighting, some battles are just distractions.
13. If we constantly defend ourselves against others, we may not have the energy left that we need to fight the battle that really matter.
14. Proving to others that we are important is one of those distractions.
15. Do not engage in a fight that is not important to your God-given destiny.
16. I do not need anyone else's approval to be the person God created me to be.
17. Speaking boldly in the LORD bears witness to the signs and wonders of God.
18. The Kingdom of God is within us.
19. Acts 14:1-4, signs, wonders, and miracles of God
20. 1 Samuel chapter 14 , shows us The Effect of Courage

A Revelation:

After an exhausting church board meeting tonight, I figured out that there are just some things I am never going to understand. But...for the first time in a year and a half, I know that I am right where I need to be. All of my questioning, searching, and wondering has led me to a place where crying out to the LORD has become first language. And after much prayer and fasting, my questions have been answered and I have found what I was searching for. My discovery was this:

Even here....His Hand will guide me.

Psalm 127:3-5

I was sitting with Abigail as she opened up her Christmas presents and I began to reflect on what it means to be truly grateful. She is so wonderful. She is excited all the time. Life hasn't gotten hard for her yet. Life hasn't beaten her up with experiences. A boy has never broken her heart. She doesn't have any bad memories that she tries not to think about. She is the happiest little person that I know. And she makes me happy. Whenever I reflect on these blessings, I thank God. I thank Him for changing my life by allowing me to be a part of hers. And I think to myself, "Lord Jesus, please help me, so I don't mess this up".
As she grows, I find myself taken back by her constant discoveries of the world. She reminds me daily, to remember what it's like to be a child. She reminds me to be free when I give love, to not withhold it, but embrace it instead. Thank you, Lord, for my family. Psalm 127:3-5 "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

Love Remembers...

Love remembers

the smell of a summer day,

lying in a hammock over fresh cut grass
And the promise of forever.

Love remembers

the sound of the pouring rain

beating down on the top of a car

on the side of the road

because we couldn't wait.

Love remembers

the taste of cotton candy gloss

on the lips of a long kiss

and the plans they made together.

Love remembers

to feel the fingertips

running through soaking wet hair

on the bank after a midnight swim.

One Nation, Under God?

Recently, I have decided to get over myself and try to understand politics. I guess my sudden interest can be blamed on my sociology class. My professor seems to think the entire class is made up of communists who are not aware that they are communist. There is more than one form of communism, but the specific form he is referring to when he calls us all "comrade", is the communism known as neo-Marxism; neo meaning "new".
So, with that said, I would urge you to turn the light bulb on in your brain and become a critical thinker as you read the definition below of what a neo-Marxist is.
AHHEM, here it goes...
Neo-Marxism - a form of communism in which the western industrialized democracies will never fall to a violent communist revolution, but will eventually succumb to the socialist ideology after a prolonged period during which the essential institutions of the west (gov't, law, currency, patriotism, religion, marriage, education, family, values, morals, etc.) are progressively undermined and eroded to the extent that the public loses faith and trust in the system and cries out for change. They are too materialistic and satisfied to risk their lives and property to engage in an uprising against the military. They also have a sense of loyalty to the very forces that constitute their oppression (gov't, capitalism) and they feel a sense of ownership and participation in those same forces. Because of this, the people of the west will engage in a slow and gradual adoption of the principles of Marxism, not realizing that its principles have been intellectually reduced. They will no longer recognize it as communism, but indeed view it as patriotism.
Go ahead...read it again, and again after that. Make sure you understand it. The reason I say this is because there is a Marxist running for president. His name is Barack Obama. Barack Obama claims to be a lot of things, one of which is a christian. I am having a hard time seeing the spiritual fruit in his actions that would lead me to believe that statement is the truth. There is a socialist running for president too. His name is John McCain. He'll do the same thing as Barack Obama, only slower and he'll take a little less of your money.
So, there it is. There is the gospel of politics I said I would never participate in. Feel privileged, I did it because it's important.

My Deliverer is the LORD

Have you ever had the privilege of seeing God change someone? Tonight was not the typical night, as we sat in our usual Wednesday night Bible study. I watched in astonishment as Uncle George shared his testimony, which I have never heard before. I am not even sure if he has ever publicly shared it at all. He told his story of how the LORD and His Mighty hand, delivered him from the clutches of alcoholism. Uncle George plays guitar and he loves bluegrass music. He played in the honky tonks in West Virginia and Ohio and that's when he began drinking his troubles away. Sounds like an old country song, doesn't it?
As I sat there and listened while he shared, I was deeply touched by his humbleness and the praise that he gave God for his deliverance. A little more than a year ago, Uncle George lost his beloved wife to cancer. He's been sad since then and it shows. When he talks about her, which isn't often, he gets that look in his eye that says he can hardly wait to be with her again.
I am thankful for Uncle George and thankful that through his sadness, he relies on the LORD for comfort. He knows that no one else can do a better job at understanding how he feels. And Uncle George still likes to play bluegrass music, only now, he plays it in church.

No Other Way

When your mind is a mess, so is mine
I can't sleep 'cause it hurts when I think
When my thoughts aren't at peace
with the plans that we make, and chances we take
They're not yours and not mine
They're just waves that can break
All the words that we say and the words that we mean
Words can fall short, they can't see the unseen
Cause the world is awake, for somebody's sake now
please close your eyes, can we please get some sleep
And know that if I knew all of the answers
I would not hold them from you
You'd know all the things that I'd know
We told each other, there is no other way
Well, too much silence it can be misleading
You're drifting, I can hear it in the way that your breathing
We don't really need to find reason
Cause out the same door that it came in, it's leaving
Leaving like a day that's done and part of a season
Resolve is just a concept that's as dead as the leaves
But at least we can sleep, it's all that we need
When we wake we will find
Our minds will be free