I have had an ongoing concern about the division between believers, as well as the increasing divide between believers and unbelievers. Add the critical mass of a division in America and an inability to dialog with out being critical or emotional, and you have the potential for destruction.
A young friend, posted this today… Continue reading The Great Divide Is Prevented By the Great Commandment
I think too often we forget that respect is a missing component of honor. It is easy to throw money at something. Not so easy to be respectful. The following video is a short thought process on respect.
I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you will take time to watch this as well as consider feedback. Blessings!
Thu, Oct 18, 2012
A few days ago, like so many Americans, I watched the presidential debates. I recorded this yesterday…
Last night I had the Civil War Dream…
Once the screaming stops and your mind comes back to some semblance of reason, you realize “this did not go the way you planned.”
I find there are many areas of my life that could use a tweak. As I showered, I meditated on some things I had read earlier this morning. I will not lie. One of the thoughts was “do I have value?” Some of the things I read just seemed so “out of touch” to me. I can only imagine the first steps of a missionary to a land where his language is not theirs. Where customs and foods and clothing are so different. I feel as though I am in a world where my culture, my upbringing has so little value. I am not complaining, just processing.
In a dream I find myself in Pennsylvania. I am traveling with a young family. We stop on the side of the road. The hillside appears war torn. I sense that even gold has little value here. (Such an unusual thought.) The trees, the rocks, the ground, all cry out for “justice and mercy.” The smell of blood begins to affect my nostrils. I realize that I am picking up the sounds of battle, the cry of the injured and the dying.
The dream begins to pick up pace. Even in the dream I feel my heart pumping. My hands shaking. “What about this family.” I look over at the children, so unaware of what is happening. The parents are starting to take notice. The food they so carefully prepared and put out on the picnic cloth is no longer the focus. The children begin to perceive “noise” from the woods. They start to pull in from the edge of the forest.
I wake up. It took some time to process, but I realized I was picking up “civil war.” The more I contemplated, some of the things I had heard over the years, the more I became sure. First let me define civil war…a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country. This definition gives me reason for concern. As I look at what some call “class warfare” I see the possibility of civil war. As I see the variances created by parties and the like…I see civil war.
So what changes that? You and I . “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” (2 Corinthians 5:18) Folks, it is time to reach out into the streets. God is not a Republican or a Democrat or even a Libertarian. He is God. Maker of Heaven and Earth.
Do, I think ‘civil war” is possible? Absolutely, I do. Do, I think People of faith can stop it? Absolutely. It is time to move our faith to the streets. Instead of seeing how many meetings we can do or how much enjoyment we can receive from God, it is time to “share!”
You may have questions about this and rightfully so. Feel feel to email me or use Facebook to catch up!
I have often considered the subject of honor to be important. So many forget that honor is love expressed. To create honor, one must begin in their home and their family. Let me know your thoughts on this. I love here from folks.
This morning I felt like I was hearing stop educating, start processing. I look around and I see people who want to “know” more. Knowing more is not bad, unless it stagnates by lack of use. For years I have shared how the human mind processes facts. For instance if you were to go to a conference on healing, you might receive the “education” to heal through teaching. But in two weeks if you were to be asked if you “heal” your answer would be yes, even though you might not have laid hands on someone.
Now some of it could be relegated to how we communicate or language, but at the core of it is a process of the mind that thinks something is done, with out the experience. (In a good way we call this imagination.) Continue reading Start Processing
(Because many have asked my take on Halloween, let me share my recent thoughts. My old thoughts are all over the internet!)
So many know my background prior to becoming a believer and how I got here. In a nutshell I went from being one who religion did not really mean much to, to one day being confronted by God. Continue reading Halloween and Believers
Years ago a book came out by Gary Chapman. It was called the Five Languages Of Love. A good start. But where does honor come in. That is really important. Here they are. What is yours?
Verbal Affirmation
Service
Gifts
Time
Touch
Consider some of these resources. Continue reading Honor And The Five Languages Of Love
This morning I awoke from two intense dreams. (Earlier in the night I had a few dreams, traveling to places “unknown.” Prepare ye the way of the Lord!) Dreams often bring about encounter with the Lord and what he is doing in lives. (Often a great way to travel without a passport!)
The first is for the Village “people.” Mark asked me to take the microphone and share something. As I walked to the end of the aisle and around, I realized that all the chairs were near the front and that looking back it was a “sea of humanity.” The room was crushingly full. I had only inches between the “altar rail” and the front row. (BTW-Chris-there was a new speaker system!) While walking I felt the floor was “squishy” and as I started to look down, I felt Him say tell them not to “look down.” It reminded me of the passages in Numbers 21. (Keep preaching the finished work and ALL that it entails!) As I went to share, I felt the Lord say “you are the embodiment of Christ.” As I began to share and thank God for that revelation, the crush got more intense. There was a change in the atmosphere and people were being healed in the “crush.” I sensed all eyes on Him.
The next was with regard to the Catalyst training. “Why do we need training? Who cares?” The answer I felt in the dreams had to do with teaching our hands to war. What I saw was the Lord was connected to each person in a special way, and as each person danced or moved their hands it was like a heavenly ballet of sorts, choreographed by the One! When the word was coming forth to train, people felt “parts” being sown into their being, into their arms and legs. Creativity and activity were being manifested. That which did not move, was moving. I felt the Lord saying that each one is created for His work. That the Lord is using Catalyst to release the creativity, the warfare and the body of the Word in the region.
So…I sense others received similar dreams last night. I would be interested in hearing!
Dear friends-
“Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.” That is a line from the Animals’ hit song. (For the lyrics.) I remember the first time I heard it around 1966. I was a beginning drummer with some friends and I used to listen to it over and over on my BSR turntable, with my Realistic 20W set up. Headphones on banging away. For me it became something I did not understand. Why was I not understood? (Some might say it became self-fulfilling prophecy.) Others did that song like Joe Cocker and the Moody Blues, but no one did it like the The Animals. So, now that I stirred up some memories for some of you.. And for others, you may be asking “What is a turntable?” In other places in those lyrics, the singer declares, that his “intentions are good.” Before coming to Christ, I would have said that is fully me. With Christ, I quickly understood that it is not about trying, but about being.Over the years I have somehow felt like I was going through an identity crisis. Who am I? It began as a child and it has never stopped. I was raised (Can’t say “grew up” because we are waiting on that!) in an alcoholic family. I was misunderstood. My father drank and my mom coped. I always tried to be the “best” and when not successful, I resorted to not doing it. Easier to pretend it did not matter, rather than you could not do it, or in some cases even understand it. My relationships often reflected “best efforts” with feelings of not being understood. (I know that I am not the only leader who has felt “misunderstood.”) And I assure you that all my thoughts were towards making things gel and be right. (I am not saying I have no “problems,” but I am saying the difficulties I have encountered have often been the results of misunderstandings.) Continue reading Please don’t let me be misunderstood
I wrote this 7 years ago. How things have changed and how many things have come to pass.
Yesterday morning I awoke from a dream. There was not much to guess about the dream or to figure out. In the dream I was working around the home and all I heard over and over was “work like an evangelist.” The music played over and over in my head. It was like “walk Like An Egyptian” by the Bangles. Even after I woke up the music was pulsing. Like I said, there wasn’t much to think about. Continue reading The World Out There