Misty Edwards: Take My Heart

I am planning on going to "onething" this year at IHOP (International House of Prayer) in Kansas City. This will be my first time. The reason that I've decided to go (besides sensing from the Lord that I should) is that God is doing some pretty amazing things there right now! If you've interested in watching the Student Awakenings webcast or past videos & testimonies go here.

Over these past few weeks, the desire to see the Kingdom of God break in power in this world has been steadily increasing. I want to see King Jesus setting people free from bondage and lives healed and transformed by His perfect Love. "Come Lord Jesus! Come!"

For a long time, I have waited for You
You have won my heart, and I am following
For a long time, I’ve been crying out for You
Tears make my heart soft
And I am ready for the return of the Lover

Fashioned from the very fabric of God
At the start of time, set free to decide
I will love You, ’cause You’re the One who loved me first
Just one look from Your eyes
I’m captivated by the eyes of the Lover

Take my heart, my mind and strength too
I was made for loving You
I will wait, and I’ll be faithful
I was made for loving You

Bowing low in the presence of the One
At the end of time, I’ll hear the bells chime for our wedding
It will wait no longer now
Oh how I love You
I’ll finally fall into the arms of the Lover

With all my heart, with all my soul
With all my strength and all I know

What does love look like?
Is the question I’ve been pondering…

This song was originally written by John Janzen © 1998 Howling Praire Music (Admin. Winipeg Centre Vineyard) off his album "Think Again."

Hillsong United: Soon

Written by Brooke Ligertwood (formerly Fraser)
© 2009 Hillsong Publishing (admin. Integrity Music, Inc.)
I long to be with Jesus, to be able to touch, hug and hold my Savior King.
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20 ESV).

New Life Worship: Everlasting God

Everlasting God by Glenn Packiam (performed by New Life Worship)

One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail

One thing I know that I believe
Through every blessing I receive
You are the only One that stays, You always stay

Chorus:
You never change, You're still the same
You are the Everlasting God
You will remain after the day is gone and the things of earth have passed
Everlasting God

One thing I know that I have found
Through all the troubles that surround
You are the Rock that never fails, You never fail

© 2006 Vertical Worship Songs (admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)

schism

This video intrigues me because in many ways it shows the transition a believer needs to make in their journey with Jesus. Let me explain, the Scriptures talk about being a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) where a person is to take off their old self and its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed as we learn more about our Creator, becoming more and more like Him (Colossians 3:9, 10). Simply put, when a person gives their life to Jesus, God begins to transform them from the inside out through His Word and Holy Spirit.

But, what I've found out from personal experience is that walking this out is much easier said than done because living as my old self is what I know, it's what I'm comfortable with. So, like in the video, I'm walking around trying to live as my new self, but find myself stumbling about because I'm still trying to live according to my old life and its practices. Maybe this is a bit of a stretch with the video, but what I've come to realize is that living as my new self in Christ demands a persepctive change: It demands a new way of seeing myself, others, and the world.

Unlike in the video, instead of trying to figure it all out and trying to take matters into my own hands, I need to continue to live by faith and trust that God is not done with me yet (Philippians 1:6) and that He will help me to transition into this new life that He has for me in Jesus which for all intensive purpose means I need to become more comfortable with my new self and let my old self fade away. It means embracing the future God has for me and doing all I can in not fighting this transition from old to new.

Amazing Grace (in Cherokee)

No matter what language I hear this song (though it is especially beautiful in Cherokee), it always stirs my heart towards a repentant joy that longs to be at the feet of Jesus, my Savior King.

the magnetism of kinetic art

There is this kind of magnetism I feel when it comes to kinetic art. Whenever I encouter art that distrupts the space around it through some sort of automation (sound, light, action), it seems to always draws me in. Good kinetic art always mesmerizes and amazes me. For more info on this artist go here. Enjoy!

a culture of objectification

I hope this video makes you angry. Sut Jhally "is one of the world's leading scholars looking at the role played by advertising and popular culture in the processes of social control and identity construction." In this documentary, he takes a very sobering view of how the makers of music videos are in many ways creating a culture of objectification. After watching this documentary (Dreamworlds 3), I was left feeling angry because it helped me to see just how manipulated I had been. The first time I heard this documentary mentioned was in a graduate degree course called "Social and Cultural Exegesis" which was basically about taking a critical look at our current world and attempting to analyze and interpret some of the social and cultural issues and trends. To say the least, it was an eye opening class.

Watching this documentary made me all the more thankful of God's love for me and the reality that I am made in the image of God and that my value comes God and what He says about me and not from what this world says about who I am or who other people are. I hope that this short preview (I do recommend watching the whole documentary) has opened your eyes a bit more to the reality of the way that this world is continually trying to manipulate the way you see yourself and the way you see others. We all have a choice, you can either believe what God says about you or you can believe what the world says about you. You choose.

Joshua Tree

I love the fact that I am able to recognize beauty. That beauty can warm my heart and quicken my spirit and take my breath away. Sometimes, I can take this God given gift for granted. But, when it does overtake me, I am reminded again of just how amazing a Creator we have.

Pretty cool stuff considering it was done through timelapse photography. If you want to check out more of this person's art go here.

frozen beauty

How amazing is this! Who would have thought that ice could be so beautiful? What an amazing Creator we have! Not only because He created all of this, but also because He created us in His image (Genesis 1:27) so that we are able to appreciate beauty. It almost makes me want to go to Greenland. Almost. I'm just glad that I can take in all the beauty without all the coldness. I guess if you really wanted the full experience (in lieu of actually traveling to Greenland) you could wait until winter and watch this video outside while you stand or sit in the snow. To each his own. Enjoy!

reFocus

Have you ever had one of these days? You know the kind where you feel blurry, like you're just out of sync. It's not that you feel dreary, like you're just wishing the day to end, because there's still beauty to your life and you still know that you're loved. It's just that you feel fuzzy, like you're missing some crucial component. You know, that one piece that will bring everything into focus.

Jesus does that for me. He brings everything into focus for me. When I have blurry or fuzzy days, He brings focus and clarity to my day. Wait, even more than that He brings vision to the way I live my life. Have you ever wondered what all the fuss is about when it comes to Jesus? What is it that you think the powers that be don't want you to know? Maybe it's because He helps people see through the blurriness and fuzziness of this life by giving them eyes to see into eternity.

I know that this video is about the need to recycle plastic (in which I agree). But, seeing bottle after bottle of water being drained away reminds me that we all have this insatiable thirst within us that will never be quenched. Though we drink and drink and drink, we will always have to drink more. This reminds me of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well who was also thirsting (John 4:1-45), but her thirst was for more than just water, she thirsted to be loved and accepted. But, because of her brokenness and shame, instead of finding lasting security, she wandered from lover to lover.

When Jesus encounters her, He offers her what her heart's been thristing for: He offers her eternal security (John 4:13-14). In this divinely orchestrated moment, He loves and accepts her just as she is and then offers her Himself, the Messiah, the Savior of her soul (John 4:26). The One who will satisfy the eternal thirst of her heart. What is it that you thirst for? Have you allowed Jesus to satisfy your eternal thirst?

receive this...

...from a heart of love

Mother Teresa inspires me to to love more, to love fuller, to love grander. She challenges me to love in a way that is beyond me because she challenges me to incarnate the very love of God. This mean that I must embrace more fully my own status as God's treasured possession as His child. My love must be born out of His love for me (1 John 4:19). If it is not then, my love will always be just that "my love" which will always be in some way selfish and not God's love which is selfless. This is Incarnational love, this is what the Nativity says to the world: Jesus had it all, but He still chose to give it all up, in order to be born in a manger and then eventually be put to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8), so that sinners/people could be reconciled back to God (Romans 5:8).

We are suppose to incarnate this kind of love, a selfless love that looks to the needs of others first and then our own second. This kind of love will always be beyond us, but it is not for us to do alone. It is a task to be accomplished in the fellowship of Christ and His Body. Being the very hands and feet of Jesus means: allowing His love to flow in and through us which will bring hope to a lost and broken world while transforming and unifying us as one.

Charity Water's September Campaign

Do you have a birthday, an anniversery, a baby shower, a housewarming party, some event where people will be bringing you gifts and presents? Well the people at Charity Water are inviting people to join in their "Born in September" campaign, but this year they are uping the ante and are including any event in September. Is God calling you to be a light to your circle of friends by challenging them to sacrificially give with you this September?

a tribute to Emma McCune

Emmanuel Jal performs his song about Emma McCune, who was the aid worker in Sudan who rescued him. She has an inspiring story which goes to show that one person can make a difference. Go out a touch someone's life today in love!

If you are interested in hearing Emmanuel Jal tell his amazing story go here.

Creative LOVE

Doesn't watching this video touch something within you that makes you want to go out and be creative? This video really captures the essence of what the flow of creativity must look like within every single person. We are all made in the image of God, so we all have the capacity to bubble and flow with creativity. But becuase of sin, we all also have this internal editor that is afraid to be known. To be creative means revealing who you are on the inside. It means allowing others to peer into your heart and soul. It means sharing a little bit of yourself with the world.

God shared His heart with us when He created us in His image. But, He also shared His heart with us when He gave the world His one and only Son (John 3:16). Jesus is the only One who sets people free into the Kingdom of God where we are unleashed to be all who God created each of us to be; where people experience the uncondtional love of God. Without Jesus, perfect and unconditional love will always be beyond our grasp. I believe the greatest evidence of the grace and love of God is when people are fully known and fully loved.

I love this quote from Vincent Van Gogh who said: "The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." So, ask God to set you free into the love of Christ who unleashes us into the creative unconditional love of God. And then go love someone creatively today!

Connecting

If you have ever spent anytime in a big city, then you have seen and possibly enjoyed or been annoyed by a street performer. Now, if you're like me, my natural inclination is to typically ignore them and walk on by. Sometimes I may stop for a second to watch and then quickly move on. Now, there are those rare occasions where I actually pause long enough to reach into my pocket in order to bless their talents with some money. But at no time does it really ever cross my mind to actually walk up to them in order to talk and get to know them. This is why I really love these videos because they give voice to a person who is usually voiceless.

No longer is this street performer just a nameless face, but he becomes Salvador Medrano, a Guatemalan who has a passion for performing because he knows that people enjoy hearing him. And Pablo Cesar Pereira, a Brazilian with an eclectic past who loves connecting with people. Everyone has a story and the more that I grow in loving people, the more that I've come to realize that loving people well means allowing them to tell their story. It means making room for them in my life where their story can intersect with my story and ultimately with God's story. It also means making room for them in my heart where they may experience the love of God that resides within me through Jesus in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

God is definitely stretching me these days by continually reminding me that it's not about me. The Holy Spirit is pressing me to truly give myself over to the Father's will by allowing Jesus to live His life through me. God is asking me to make myself more available to Him, so that He can love people with wild abandon through me. The more I live, move and have my being in God (Acts 17:28), the more I realize that I have a lot to learn about unconditional love. So, this is my prayer for me and for you: "that the Holy Spirit would help us to see the world more and more with Jesus' eyes and to love people more and more with the Father's heart. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Just a really cute video

Sowing the seed of the Word of God

What does sowing the seed of the Word of God look like in our present day? While watching this video, I couldn't help but be reminded of Jesus' parable of the sower (Mark 4). Sowing the Word of God means being engaged in a spiritual battle. If we say we believe Jesus' words that the Truth will set people free (John 8:32), than we must also accept the reality that the Word of God is just that the very words of God (2 Timothy 3:16). I believe this video is a good depiction of the spiritual reality of what happens when the seed of the Word of God gets sown within a person's heart. When the Word of God gets sown into a person's heart, It brings 1) life to barrenness; 2) hope to brokenness and 3) renewal to decay. So, because the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers to both harvest and sow seed in the harvest field of the world (Luke 10:2).

Biblical Prayer

During my time at Trinty Evangelical Divinity School, I've had the opportunity to both personally interact and learn from Don Carson. He is a man filled with grace and truth and has a deep passion to see Christ formed in people. In this short interview through the Gospel Coalition, Dr. Carson unpacks some of the ins and outs of biblical prayer. Enjoy!

Twitter will KILL you!

I'm not sure if the band is a) for twitter or b) against twitter or c) making fun of twitter or d) advertising for twitter or e) all of the above. Nevertheless, it is kind of hilarious! Typical Crowder Band lunacy.

Children See Children Do

This short video is a good reminder that children imitate what they see, moreso than what they're told which gives a whole new meaning to Paul's words: "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV). Soli Deo Gloria.

Amazing Grace (in Inuit)

I can get a bit myopic when it comes to the bigness of God in the world. So, this was a good reminder that God's grace is global and His unconditional love touches all nations, tribes, peoples and languages. (Listening to this quieted my heart and left me speechless).

Jesus the King

ENJOY! This video is just awesome. "Do you know Him?"

Visuals set to the audio of the famous sermon "Seven Way King" (aka That's My King) as spoken by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. The audio is slightly edited for a better flow in the video. The music in the background was performed live by the Granger Community Church band while the video played on the screens. It then led directly into the worship song "Here is Our King" by the David Crowder Band (to see the performance in it's entirety go here).

Schooled in Denial

Walter Brueggemann raises some interesting insights in this video. Does ministry to the wounded take an artist? I would have to agree with him and say "yes." It does take an artist to maneuvering past people's denial. It takes a creative approach to reorient people towards a fresh perspective on faith and life. Vincent Van Gogh once said, "The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." I wholeheartedly agree. If we really let ourselves get lost in the love of Christ, I believe we will find ourselves creatively loving those that God brings into our lives (be it for a moment or for a lifetime). But because of sin, we are self-absorbed when it comes to loving people where loving people becomes a hassle and/or way too much work. Creative loving never even makes it onto the scene, let alone into the relationship.

To be able to prophetically speak to people's hearts in love, in order "to get them in touch with their pain," will take a creatively gentle hand. One that seeks to illuminate the dark painful areas in people's hearts that are enshrouded with shame and guilt with the loving light of the Gospel. It will take artists who are steeped in the Word of God and filled with the Holy Spirit. Trustworthy people who understand that worshipping the Father in Spirit and in Truth is a non-negotiable (John 4: 23, 24). I believe that the more a person lives in worship to the Father in Spirit and in Truth, the greater their capacity for creative love to the wounded will be.

Led by the Spirit

I hope that this powerfully moving video based on Galatians 5:16-25 has inspired you to: Invite the Holy Spirit to transform your worldly and fleshly appetites into eternal and righteous ones to the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is only through Him that we have true and lasting redemption where all things become possible (Mark 10:27).

Do you love your neighbor's music?

This is my first time hearing Richard Twiss from Wiconi International. At the heart of what he's saying, the celebration of diversity, got my heart racing. I don't know about you, but for him to put voice and vision to what worship around the throne of God (Revelation 7:9-17) will be like made my heart leap with joy. He's right in his assessment that "no one language could ever capture the fullness of who God is or no one music style could ever echo the sounds of heaven." This video has challenged me to search my heart to see where I default to my own cultural preferences to the the exclusion of my neighbor and to repent for my narrow-minded ways. Richard Twiss has helped me to expand my vision and understanding of the worship that God delights in. God is worthy of all our (every nation, tribe and people's) praises in every language!

God's Love Letter

This is such an amazing video. I love God's Word! Don't you?

Toy Girlfriend

There's a lot that could be said, but I will restrain myself to one question and statement: How ridiculous is the name Eternal Maiden Actualization (E.M.A)? The toy is far from eternal, a stretch to be considered a maiden, and the only thing it actualizes is the potential to perpetuate immaturity and relational brokenness.

Staying on the Vine

Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). In my self-willed moments, I act like the robot testing boundaries, thinking that I'm missing out on life. That just past the horizon, there is something that I need, even though I may have no clue what that may be. The world can be very enticing (to say the least). But, I must always remember that Jesus is my source of life and that apart from Him I really can do nothing. Just like the robot, when I venture too far away from the source of life, Jesus, I slowly begin to tire, weaken and fade. "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned" (John 15:6).

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that believers should seclude themselves away from the world. What I am saying is that believers need to wrestle within themselves and bring our self-will into submission under the lordship of Christ (no matter how painful). In His mercy, God restrains us for a reason. When He tells me "Don't," it's usually "Don't hurt yourself." We must never forget that God can see the whole painting, whereas we can only see a portion of the painting at a time. Our perspective is limited, God's isn't. We need to move from living a Jesus plus faith to a Jesus alone faith. The more we press into Jesus, the Word of God, the more we will understand just how fully sufficient He is. I believe when we do this, we will experience the depth and fullness of life that Jesus promises us (John 10:10). But more often than not, we settle for a life of shallowness with faint glimpses of depth and fullness.

Geisha

When I first saw this video, I have to admit I was at first fascinated by what I saw. I was drawn into the seemingly secret and exotic world of the geisha (which probably reveals the narcissistic and perverse inclinations of my own heart). Historically, the geisha has a sorted past when it comes to offering sexual services to their clients. There has always been (and I imagine always will be) intense pressure from clients for geishas to sell sex. Though traditionally, geishas are considered performing artists, rather than courtesans (prostitutes), both are in the business of commodifying women.

Though typically sexual services are not the central focus of geishas as it is with courtesans, the bottom line is that geishas are trained in the art of seductive entertainment. The main purpose of their existence is to flirt with and massage the egos of their clients while they entertain them, which in many ways reveals humanity's brokenness. We (people) were made for so much more than to just use and be used by own another. Furthermore, the reason that geishas put on all the makeup is to removed any trace of individuality. If you really think this through, it's like the girls become living painted dolls for those who purchase their services. In many ways, what this does is strip away any sort of humanity from these women (in some instances teenage girls). The more I think through it, the more that my fascination begins to turn towards revulsion. I'm saddened and repulsed by the fact that the goal of all the geisha's training is to hollow them out and make them into these cloned porcelain dolls, frozen in time.

Thinking through this whole thing reminds me of an old Black Flag album called "Family Man" where some of Henry Rollins' spoken word is mixed in with some instrumentals. More specifically, it reminds me of the piece called "salt on a slug." Basically, Henry Rollins describes what happened when he poured salt on a slug. First, he was totally fascinated by the slug's writhing and oozing. But then, his "fascination turned to revulsion as the slug writhed and tossed." Eventually, he gets bored torturing the slug and leaves the slug to its writhing fate (death).

Will I let my growing repulsion isolate me away from the geisha world, uncompassionately leaving them to their fate, or will I let my repulsion fuel my passion to bring the light and hope of the Gospel into the geisha world: be it through prayer or actually face time ministry? But, I need to allow my perspective to change from being fascinated by the geisha world to being repulsed by this world. Because as long as I am captivated by this world, I will minimize the fetish deviancy of it, which will make it all the harder for me to see the underlying brokenness. I need to see the geisha world for what it is: a reflection of our fallen brokenness crying out for healing and redemption. A healing and redemption that can truly only be found in Jesus.

&*%@#!*+&#@!!!

There are very few things that anger me to the point of swearing and cursing, this is one of them. Just thinking about men who travel to foreign countries as sex tourists literally makes my stomach turn. It also makes my heart ache and yearn all the more for Jesus, the Savior King, to come with His iron scepter to judge and make war against those who would sexually abuse children and to come rescue the abused and discarded.

But lately, as I have been praying and interceding for these women and children, something strange has been happening - in the midst of my prayers of judgment upon these men, I have also started praying salvation and redemption for them as well. This has gotten me all kinds of sideways because who wants to pray mercy for &#@!!! child molesters (but, I regress: forgive me, Lord). Jesus has been impressing on me that the Gospel is for everyone and if anyone needs the power of God to enter into their lives, it's sex tourists and traffickers.

"Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT).

God can save and redeem anyone (my own life is proof of that). We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and until the final judgment, there is grace and mercy for all. So, until that day comes, this is my prayer: That the Lord of the harvest would raise up laborers for the harvest (Luke 10:2), people who were once sex tourists and traffickers - to His glory alone.

Busting it Back to the Basics

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16, 17).

Something Creative

Just some interesting art that I ran across on the web: http://zulu-eos.deviantart.com/gallery/. It made me reflect on the wonderful gift of creativity and how we should really nurture and encourage children to be more creative because when we do, we teach them to embrace the creativity of the image of God in us all. Of course this creativity needs to be redeemed by Jesus, but if we stomp and stifle that desire to create early on by teaching our children that being creative is a waste of time, that there's no intrinsic value in it, then we basically conform them to the demands of the world where value is based on efficiency and productivity. And maybe that's where you're at, but I believe our value should never be based on what we do, but on rather who we are.

Our redemption is solely based on who we are in Christ. To be save by grace means that our salvation does not come from, nor will it ever be based on what we do: it truly is a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9). So, the more that we indoctrinate our children into efficiency, the more I believe we push them towards a works-righteousness, even legalism. Maybe, if we allowed them to be creative and to pursue those things that inspire them to celebrate creation; they'd get a better grasp on what amazing grace is all about.

Entrusted with the Hope of the World

Walter Brueggemann comes with the goods. He made me really examine myself and the place of the Gospel in my life. It made me reflect on how deep the Good News of Jesus has gone in my heart. Do I view the Gospel as the greatest and most exciting news I've ever heard? As you watch this video, reflect on this question: "When you share the Gospel with people, do they walk away believing the Gospel is just everyday news or do they walk away believing that the Gospel is the greatest and most exciting news in the history of the world?" - Why is that?

One Field of the Harvest

[for those hypersensitive to swearwords, there are two near the end of the video].

My heart yearns to bring the Gospel on the road. It yearns to be a train hopping evangelist. But, until then, this is my prayer: that the Lord of the Harvest would raise up laborers for this field of the harvest (Luke 10:2).

The Gospel Coalition

Gospel Coalition conference next week: "Entrusted with the Gospel - 2 Timothy"

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/

He is Risen!

Mark 16:6

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him."

Mark Lawrence

So very amazing...

The Future of Biotechnology?

The Posthuman from cecily kuoc on Vimeo.

"Restart" a vision of Newlife Community church

I had to opportunity to talk to Christian Groenendal today, who is a fellow brother, colleague and student. He is the worship leader for Shift (the young adults ministry) at the Lincoln Park location of Newlife Community church. We talked a bit about the vision of "Restart" which totally encouraged me and warmed my heart. If you're interested in one way God is bringing revitalization to the many dwindling churches in the Chicagoland area, this is a must see video.

Did you Know?

The 4:20 Prayer Movement has begun...

In the drug culture world, there is a significant time of the day, 4:20 pm which is known globally as the universal time to get high. At 4:20 people all across the Earth either by themselves or together get high on marijuana (or other drugs).

Over this past week, I've really felt lead by God to start a prayer ministry called the 4:20 Prayer Movement.The story behind all of this was on March 2nd, 2009, at 4:20 pm God reminded me of all the people (including many old friends) who were at that moment getting high, but it wasn't until a few days later on March 5th, while I was sitting in my car waiting in line at a local car wash that I felt the Spirit of God tell me to start praying for those getting high at 4:20. So, I prayed that God would intersect into their lives, so that they would encounter Him, the living God, and that He would set them free from their addictions.

After praying, I felt God telling me to begin looking through the New Testament at all the 4:20 verses, in order to help guide me in my prayers. So, that's what I did, now as I was reading through these verses three stood out: Matthew 4:20, Mark 4:20 and 1 Corinthians 4:20. As I further meditated on these verses, I felt the Holy Spirit showing me how I needed to be praying for those struggling with drug addiction. First, I needed to ask that the kingdom of God would break into their lives in power (1 Corinthians 4:20). Secondly, that those getting high would leave their current lifestyles, in order to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:20). And thirdly, that one day their hearts would be transformed into the good soil that hears and accepts God's Word and bears abundant good fruit (Mark 4:20).

So, this is what I did. I set my alarm clock on my cell phone to go off at 4:20 pm. daily, so that I could begin praying these three verses and interceding for those who were getting high right at that moment. Now, it wasn't until a few days later, when I was telling a good friend of mine about all of this that he said to me: "I'd join you doing that!" that's when it dawn on me to begin the 4:20 Prayer Movement.

It's really easy to join, just set your cell phone alarm to 4:20 pm and when it goes off, begin praying the three verses. Now, if you personally know people struggling with drug addiction then I suggest you pray specifically for them by name. Remember, drug addiction is messy and untangling a person's heart from the drug lifestyle is a process. So, the importance in covering the drug addicted with consistent faithful prayer is crucial to their freedom. Thank you for your love, compassion and obedient faithfulness to Jesus' call to set the oppressed free.

Are you being a good steward of our environment? Clicking on the logo above will take you to a website where you can actually take a quiz that will help evaluate and answer that question for you and then it will give you some helpful insights and direction in how to be a better steward of our environment.

What Do You Think About?

ENGAGE YOUR WORLD! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

It's a love thang

Over these past few weeks I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed because as I have been praying and thinking through how to really minister effectively while being faithful in an entitlement enviornment, but what I've come to realize is that God has been revealing to me my own spirit of entitlement. So, to make this story a bit shorter, these past few weeks have really come, because of God's grace, to their inevitable end which is me repenting and asking Jesus to give me a servant's heart. On further reflection, its like I've become more prideful than broken "I deserve this, I deserve that, I can do this, I can do that" which is directly connected to having an entitlement mentality. This is an old, but new facet of the pride within my heart. Most my life, I never really thought I deserved anything.

Since God saved me 9 years ago from a hopeless life of drug addiction, I've always been more broken than prideful (generally speaking). I knew full well then as I should still know now just how sinfully worthless I was before God divinely intervened in my life. So, during this past week I've been reflecting on just where God has taken me from and where He has me now. Where God has me now in this faith journey, does make perfect sense, if, I pause long enough to see the whole journey and not just the here and now. Sanctification is a process as Paul tells us: "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Phil 2:12b-13). When I just look at the here and now, I lose sight of just how much grace, mercy and love God has lavished on me, I forget that it is God who is working in me. Just this morning, while I was worshipping God in my room to a personalized worship set, I realized that I've slowly become less and less actively in love with Jesus.

I know that God is building perseverance in me and equipping me through ministry (and life) hardships to mature me, but while in the midst of this I've become less and less actively in love with Jesus. I have not allowed my heart to express its love for the precious Savior and Lover of my soul which has been a welcomed wake up call for me. It's so amazing the grace that Jesus extends to me. I am so grateful that even when I drop the ball in our relationship, Jesus never does. He never stops being actively in love with me. It's a love thing.

Attractional vs. Missional part1

The Worship Leader

The responsibility of the worship leader is to first and foremost lead people into the presence of God through spiritual songs. Now this can be at first glance a daunting task, but if a worship leader views his/her task as being more of a spiritual guide who is taking the people of God on a journey into the heart of God by the leading of the Holy Spirit, then the burden lightens because the worship leader is not alone in this endeavor. It is the Holy Spirit’s task to draw people to the Father through the Son, in which worship leaders are invited to be apart of.

Some good questions to ask when choosing worship songs are: 1) What does the song say about God? 2) What does the song say about us? 3) What does the song say about how we relate to God/Gospel? In thinking a bit deeper on this, I’ve come up with a few guideposts to help worship leaders think through some of the components of the journey.

1) Entering into worship (an invitation)
2) Crying out for the Lord (“I/we need you Lord”)
3) Receiving the assurance of Jesus (forgiveness, redemption, salvation, etc.)
4) Encountering the presence of God (holiness, power, mercy, grace, love, etc.)
5) Surrender/Submission to God (“I/we bow down”)
6) Expressing love for God (“I/we love You Lord”)
7) Expressing thankfulness to God (“thank You Jesus”)

Also, because of the pervasiveness of individualism, it is wise to include at least one song that is corporate in nature (we, us). This is important for at least two reasons: 1) it addresses the stronghold of individualism and 2) it reinforces the reality of being part of the Body of Christ. There is a difference between singing corporately (as a group) and singing songs that help people to identify as the Body of Christ. When a person sings, “I love you Lord” this has a different feel than singing “we love you Lord.” The latter fosters a sense of community.

Having five of the seven categories in a worship set is ideal, but that may not always be possible. But, a good rule of thumb is to have at least three categories. There may be times where a worship leader may be led by the Spirit to highlight one category, but having five songs on just one category would be unbalanced. So, breaking up the worship set with songs from two other categories helps to balance out the focus. Remember, a worship set should never lose the journey theme, which happens when only one category is focused.

Please feel free to express your thoughts:

Are you starving Jesus?

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:12-14).