The last month or so many of us have been concerned about destiny, purpose and who is supposed to do what.
I have said previously, that it is God’s purpose and destiny that I make myself aware of. In the process I get what I need for my personal “destiny.” I do not focus on what I am going to do, but simply being a vessel that is yielded to Him that He might express His life through me. Waiting on Him is important. James 1:4 So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. Continue reading God’s Purpose and You→
It is more than just a place to go. It may be how you get there.
I guess you could say I am on a mission. A mission to see dads restored and the family made whole. I would not have said that was a part of my mission but often people tell me my thoughts on it are “obvious.” I hurt my own children in my divorces. I see others hurt. It really matters little the age. Continue reading The Impact of Divorce on a Child→
Over the last few weeks I have had this “thing” on my mind about being a dad. What is the value of a dad? How can one help? What do we do with this currently “dadless” generation? So many young people are running around without dads or dads that left mom hanging to struggle in the realms of finance and support.
In full disclosure at one point I was that dad. After the loss of my first marriage, I moved on, having two more children. A second divorce came not long after. I now had child support to pay to two ex-wives and three children. But the Lord entered my life and I saw the need to become more responsible not just financially but to provide support emotionally, spiritually and with physical things like warm housing, food and peace. Paying child support, undergirding two step children and maintaining life was not easy but I made it. At the end of “child support” season I had letters from my ex-wives thanking me for being the man I was.
Last night some of this topic was coming up in our prayer time but the Lord has been speaking to me about it for a long time. Over the years of ministry I faced many challenges with a variety of folks in our church fellowships. They included:
Sons with no dads
Daughters with no dads
One parent households of both sides
Broken parents left behind
Children with lopsided understanding of family
Anger, frustration, hurt, pain and more.
I could and have gone off on wayward parents of children who have left them empty handed, broken and busted. Today is not that day. Today is a new day and I see new focus on men and in particular, dads. Grace tells me God believes in reconciliation and restoration of all things. He also tells me one of our “jobs” is to redeem the time. And so I am moving towards that.
What I see happening….
Years ago, in a small Baptist church I prophesied that when the men dance the church would change. Only days later the Toronto outpouring began and men danced. The last few weeks (September of 2013) I have felt the church’s unprecedented growth will be shaped by men understanding who God has called them to be.
I see that the following are readying to change.
Men will act more like God than ever before towards their wives, children, parents, church family, friends and places of business.
Men will step up to the plate in leading the next move of grace across the land.
Husbands will learn the ways of the Lord towards their wives with grace and love.
Fathers will be fathers as the Father is, to their children. Providing for their children’s emotional, physical and financial needs from a Dad.
Godly men will help children of broken homes in healthy, godly ways.
Young men without fathers will turn to “fathers in the faith” to learn.
Young women will seek out “mothers in the faith” to learn.
Single parents will see God as their supply, not racing for more brokenness.
We are about to see some amazing things amongst men in this land. Men stepping into place. Balanced in all things of God.
I suspect that young men are going to need help here. Young women and young men will have questions. Older men will question how they plug in.
Passing the baton
Malachi 4:6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers
Luke 1:17 “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
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Too often I see well-meaning people complicate simple things. It can be a recipe, a task even the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Frequently church has become a place of “higher education” only to be challenged in circumstances or situations where the rubber meets the road. Continue reading Simple Is Good→
It is more than just a place to go. It may be how you get there.
This morning I looked out over the horizon and saw the turning of the trees creeping up on New England. In the midst of a government shutdown do the trees on Federal land know whether or not they are supposed to change? Are they even allowed to change?
So many are not being allowed to enter into the favorite parks to view foliage in light of the shutdown. They are being met with red signs that declare the “Government Shutdown” and the reasons for the closures. (Who paid for the signs? Did we?) How many will visit New England and not be allowed in? (Yay for Wisconsin who declared that many would not be shut down.) Continue reading My Trees-A Small Rant – And Solutions…→
For starters this week will be my 21st anniversary of being married to Tina! Yay! 21 years ago in Rutland Vermont we gave our lives to one another.
The book on interrupted process. I have just received the blue penciled edited version and am devoting this week to making the corrections and adding the suggestions. Sabina has been doing a wonderful job lining up my “un-aligned” thinking! She has devoted a lot of time to making me look better than I am in print. Once I get it finalized I will be sharing it with a few friends as well as returning it to Sabina for the hopeful final edit. Continue reading Update October 1st 2013→
One of the hardest things about being a believer is watching people, friends and family go through difficult times. Particularly those that are within their grasp to control. Too often the choices that one makes determine the quality of the answer.
What about choices? As one of my dear friends Roger stated at a funeral not too long ago in his own inimitable way. “Get a job. Be a good person. Do not be a bum. Do not marry a bum. Do not let your kids be bums.” Over the years he has said similar things like, “if you do drugs the handwriting is on the wall.” Now both he and I believe God can help restore and bring those people into better circumstances. But so often it is choices…then and now. Continue reading Unraveling The Raveled – Pulling Light Out Of Darkness→
Yesterday I shared a story about a farmer selling his property. The point of the story was that sometimes we just need a new prescription to see life his way. Surely God looks down on the pain and is compassionate. But on so many levels He has given us all that is pertaining to life and Godliness, so when things are not happening, perhaps it is time for us to go to the “pantry” (New England storage) and pull from what He has supplied.
This should not be condemning or considered harsh, but simply a reality of our life. Is this not the process of a parent? That we prepare our children with the idea that one day they would be independent. That they would stand and have a clue about life. Continue reading The Role Of Equipping And It’s Need→
Like Paul, my encounter with Jesus left me “blind.” No longer could I see the things the way I had. I talked about a paradigm shift. It is the kind of shift that you can not ever see the way you did previously.
Last night our fellowship prayed for people to have encounters. That God would show up to people like Presidents Assad and Obama. That He would appear to Putin and the Muslim clerics and imams. My kind of encounter! Continue reading Encounters Of The God Kind – Running Into God→
This morning I put together another word of destiny.
I saw a middle aged man being asked to change, to be flexible
New Testament prophecy ought to bring hope, encouragement and build you up., to move to another career. To meet Muslims and talk to them…
A young man who was a seer, crying out for the encounters of God.
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The last month or so many of us have been concerned about destiny, purpose and who is supposed to do what.
