Disillusionment & Divine/Cruciform Accommodation

Divine Accommodation in a nutshell is the concept that refers to the various ways God had to adjust His appearance in order to communicate to us because of our limited mental capacity and sin-filled hearts. This concept was first used by John Calvin but more recently picked up again by Greg Boyd who has expanded on Calvin's original concept and added a "Cruciform" Accommodation component.

"This principle holds that the cross, rather than a presupposed philosophical conception of what a “perfect being” should be like, must serve as the primary criterion by which we access the degree to which any biblical portrait of God is and is not a divine accommodation. Any divine portrait that reflects the character of God revealed on the cross is a direct revelation of God’s true character and will. Any that fall beneath what is revealed on the cross must be considered an accommodation of a stooping God.

The biblical narrative reflects God’s willingness to bend his ideals to accommodate the fallen and culturally conditioned state of his people. God is consistently depicted as a heavenly missionary who must temporarily appear to condone grotesque practices and beliefs that he actually deplores if he intends to gradually influence his people away from these practices and beliefs." (http://reknew.org/2017/07/four-principles-cruciform-thesis/) emphasis mine. 

Where I am going with this is to help explain why Jesus allows abusive leadership to persist within the church. I speak about this not as an outsider looking in but as one who has been disillusioned and has by the grace of God been restored. If there was one thing that I hope you take away from this blog is this: 

"It is not that God ever approves of a leader's controlling, abusive sinful behavior, rather God deplores it but He is divinely accommodating them as He works at helping them be and act more in line with His character."

Understanding this has helped me to come to terms with my own disillusionment. Disillusionment is a very real thing and is impacting Christians all around the world. Now what I believe to be the main catalyst in this is controlling, manipulative and abusive leadership. The reason for this post is to address the growing epidemic of disillusioned Christians who are leaving church and sometimes the faith altogether.

Some of the questions that I needed to grapple with and come to terms with followed along the lines of: 

• "Jesus why are you allowing these controlling and manipulative leaders run your church?" 
• "Jesus why are you allowing leaders who are more interested in getting people to serving their agenda, than actually loving them lead your people?"
• "Jesus why is there so much spiritual abuse happening in your church?"
• "Jesus why are you allowing greedy self-seeking leaders shepherd your flock?"

If you have ever asked these questions than understand that God is accommodating these leaders and is in no way, shape or form actually approving of their behavior. Now I will submit here that sometimes I wonder why is God accommodating them, but then I am reminded of my own failings or when I got it wrong and am grateful for the times that God has accommodate me in my own misguided demands and failings.

I would even go so far as to say that, if God didn't ever accommodate people than we would all be certainly doomed. But, from my own journey with the Lord and understanding of Scripture what I see and have experienced is God as more of a loving Father than a harsh Judge. I believe God is still the Judge of all things, but I don't believe that is His first impulse. What I see throughout Scripture is God being gracious, compassionate and merciful first and foremost. So, for me rather than wondering why God accommodates, I am now just grateful that He does.

An example of this in is 1 Samuel 8 where the people are demanding a human king, in lieu of having God as their King. In this passage of Scripture we see that the time had come for God to form a nation for Himself. But, rather than fully accepting God as their King, the people demand that Samuel appoint for them a human king. 

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” 10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. (emphasis mine)

Here is one clear example of Divine/Cruciform Accommodation. God's original plan was to form this nation with Him as their Divine King, but the people wanted to be like all the other nations of the world, rather than being an exception and example to the world as God originally planned. So, He accommodates their sinful request and masterfully weaves this into His plan of redemption.

At the heart of Divine/Cruciform Accommodate I believe what we must see and understand is a God who is always stooping down to meet culturally conditioned and sinful people where they are at, and from this place patiently and lovingly helps them slowly come to greater and clearer revelation and understanding of who He is and His plan for them. What we get a glimpse of is a loving, gracious and merciful God who is patient and long-suffering towards His creation/people. And since then God has continued to accommodate His people, even until today.

Another verse that has helped me in my own understanding and restoration is Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (NLT). I believe that there are lots of things happening both within the church and outside of it that is not God's will, but that doesn't mean that God cannot bring some good out of any situation no matter how dark and sinful. 

I mean just look at the good He bought about through the crucifixion of Jesus by the hands of evil principalities and powers and sinful evil people. If He can bring about the salvation of the whole world through the most tragic event of all history than He can also bring good out of any and all other situations. This understanding needs to be firmly rooted in the foundational bedrock of our faith.  

If you are interested in learning more on this, here is a video where a few guys discuss Greg Boyd's take on Divine (Cruciform) Accommodation:

Believing the Gospel is our Greatest Challenge (Judah Smith Sermon Jam)

Saving ourselves and setting ourselves free is a complete illusion and lie. Though we wish we had this kind of power, the reality is that we don't have this kind of power and we never will, apart from Jesus that is. 

"It's always been Jesus. It will always be Jesus. It will never stop being the power of Jesus. His blood is sufficient for your salvation. His blood is sufficient to sustain you through every challenge, through every sin and every temptation. Jesus is enough." 

If you call yourself a Christian, a Jesus follower, than we need to be continually checking ourselves in and when we are relying on ourselves, rather than in Jesus. 

"I got saved by grace, but now that I'm in this deep dark place of bondage I better work hard to get myself out. What? That's the opposite of the Gospel....There's no answer within yourself." 

"The greatest challenge is not your discipline, your devotion, your focus. Your greatest challenge is believing the Gospel." 

Hands down, the Gospel is the greatest news of all time, period. There has been and will never be any greater news, ever. Do you believe this? 

What I've come across time and time again is when we end up relying on ourselves in anyway, where we start thinking that our freedom, healing, deliverance, restoration, redemption, even salvation is dependent on something we need to do or on us working harder, than the Greatest News of all time will slowly becomes just OK News. The more we think it's about us, the less we allow the Good News to be Good News. 

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me, Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:29-30 (MSG) 

Is the Gospel the Greatest News ever or is it just OK News?  When talking to people about the Gospel, the response we should be hearing from people is "Wow! This is too good to be true" because when it comes to the Gospel, it is too good too be true because Jesus has done it all. 

"For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-17 (NLT)

Jesus and The Introverted Thought Life (a personal commentary)

This post is for all the introverts (like myself) though technically I would consider myself an "ambivert" because there are times I do gain energy when I'm around people, but other times it is draining for me. But, if push came to shove, I do prefer to be by myself to recharge, which technically puts me firmly in the introvert camp. 

We introverts are a funny and peculiar lot. 

I can relate to this saying. There are days that I just feel like being away from people. Sometimes, even when I go out I will purposefully go out of my way to minimize my interactions with people. Now, if you are an introvert reading this I know you can relate and have probably done the same. But, I would ask that you would try and hold off any assumptions, judgments and conclusions about this and me. 

Something that I've come to realize and I know that I may offend some people in saying this: "We introverts (yes I include myself) are really good at judging people and casting them in a suspicious and negative light." The reasoning behind this (in my humble opinion) is because safety is a top priority (if not the highest priority) for an introvert. In many ways, we would like the outer world to reflect our inner world. And when it doesn't we tend to think through the many different scenarios (sometimes over and over again) until we come to an acceptable outcome. Why we do this is because we are making sure we are prepared (which helps us feel safe) or have some sort of escape route or plan just in case things don't go the way we'd like them to go. 

I can tell you from my own personal experience, that this has been true for me and I believe I am not the only introvert who feels this way. Introverts are always thinking. I appreciate this cartoon's depiction "He's got the whole world in his head." It's true. One of the hardest things for an introvert to do is to get out of their head. 

Now to the point of this blog post. 

Something God has been challenging me on is my inner thought life. More specifically on my thought life towards others. You see, I've been praying (for over a year now) asking Jesus to help me live firmly in a place of grace and goodness towards others. And since I've started praying this, God has been answering by challenging me on my introverted judgmental thought life. 

I mean how can I extend grace and goodness to others if I am having suspicious and negative thoughts about them? Thinking they have ulterior motives which at times may be true, but not always. Now I do think it is perfectly fine to make notes and observations about the things happening around us. I mean collecting data and growing in our understanding of human nature and the world around us is a good thing. But, when suspicion and negativity become the filter in which we discern the world around us, I think this is a problem. 

I mean, why can't we think better of people by giving them the "benefit of the doubt" when it comes to why they are doing what they are doing. Or better yet, wouldn't it be better to hold off all judgments until we've actually engaged with the person? Now before you start making conclusions like I'm being naive and foolish (too late?), I would further add that our thought life will always color the way we interact with people.

So, if I have already concluded some negative or suspicious things about someone even before I've engaged with them, my non-verbal language will show this in my facial expressions, body language, spacial distancing, even my vocal tone, speed or hesitancy will make these known.

Now, on the other hand, if I have withheld any suspicious or negative judgments and assumptions, I am free to see each person before me with minimal bias and be able to speak and engage with them from a place of grace and goodness. Isn't that how we see Jesus engaging with people in the Gospels? I mean He already knew things about people which was 100% accurate, unlike us who at best could be maybe averaging a 50% accuracy rate, but regardless of what He knew, Jesus still treated them with from a place of grace and goodness.

So, to all my fellow introverts, I dare you to pray this prayer: "God, help me to live firmly in the place of grace and goodness towards others." And when you do, be ready to come face to face with all your judgmental junk.

If I could share a little wisdom I've learned along the way is that God is interested in bring a lasting inward transformation to you. This means He's not really focused on your behavior, but on the condition and shape of your heart. Something I've come to realize is that the older we get, the better we are at masking our disingenuousness.

So I urge you to resist trying to hide and mask your junk but to actually invite Holy Spirit into it. And if you find yourself arguing within yourself, know that maybe you're actually arguing with Holy Spirit. In these moments, pause, take a breath, and tell Him you're sorry for trying to justify your thoughts and ways and begin listening and letting go.

I'm not going to try and sugar coat this in anyway, this is a rough and hard road to walk because it means allowing God to touch and shape the deepest parts of who we are. But, as I have been actively engaging in this for a little while now, I can tell you it is worth it. There is so much peace and freedom here that is life giving and releasing. 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 39

The only thing that motivated to be out on the street today was the fact that the only way that I could finish 40 days with the Mobile Prayer Station was to be out today. You see, I am preparing to leave in a few days to spend one year overseas. So today and tomorrow are the only real days left before I travel overseas. But, even so, the Lord is so gracious and though it was a battle to even be out today, the Lord drew near to me as I cried out for His presence and grace. 

What profoundly stood out today was the sense of loneliness in people. As they walked by, the Holy Spirit let me feel their loneliness and then moved me to ask the Lord to draw near to them. I believe one of life's true horrors is the feeling of loneliness because we were created by God for relationship. This is why hopeless gains such a quick foothold in a person's heart and life when loneliness grips them. We were created out of love, for love, to be loved and to give love. One of my favorite bible verses is 1 John 4:16: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them" (NIV). Really spend a minute to take this verse in. So amazing!

So even though I wanted to go home immediately after I got on the corner, God released grace to me and brought people for me to prayer with. First Jose and Crystal came by on their way to a youth night their church was throwing. I've gotten to talk and pray with Jose on a few occasions so it was nice to see him and pray with him again. But then God gave me a prophetic picture for his cousin Crystal which I shared with her and then prayed into. God has really brought these two through such tremendous trials which only speaks of such favor and incredible destinies on both their lives. God is so good! Next, I got to speak with a woman walking her dog who stopped to ask about dream interpretation (if you're interested on reading about my biblical grounding for dream interpretation read here). She couldn't remember any dreams and was a bit hesitant in receiving formal prayer from me, so I just spoke a blessing prayer over her as we talked. She was appreciative. Yes, I will sneak in a prayer even in conversation. 

One of the highlights of my day was praying for a dad Sergio and his stepdaughter Elisia. He kept his request general and asked for resolution to some issues happening within the family. The Holy Spirit guided my prayers and I respectfully touched on a few prayer points while still honoring the family. Next, I prayed for Elisia that God would bless her creativity and give her the courage to walk into her God given gifts and talents. It's funny, one of the first things Sergio said to me was that they were having a pretty weird day and well why not keep it going by asking me for some prayer. I love it! Rather than getting offended I just ran with the God given opportunity to pray for peace, healing, kindness and grace for this hurting family. Thank You Jesus for Your compassion, love and humility. Only by Your grace Lord!

Lastly, I got to talk and pray with Seneca, who came up to me and said that God had given him a vision sometime in the past of me and my prayer sign and told him he was to have me pray for him. Wow! Are you kidding me? So we held hands and prayed. Right when I started praying Seneca started praying in tongues. I prayed for many things for him from healing to deliverance to revelation. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say this, after Seneca left I literally heard the Lord say to my spirit that one of my prayers was the one He's been waiting for someone to pray. God is so amazing! Here I am not even wanting to be out praying with people and God releases such grace and revelation to me. Talk about a Divine appointment. Before Seneca left, he did pray for and bless me which was a bonus! I love God's amazing grace! 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 35

Today, even before setting up the prayer sign, my friend Nate and I spent a few minutes singing "I love You, Lord." It felt right to be standing on a corner in Wicker Park singing to the Lord. After today, I've decided to start each day like this, from a place of worship to the Lord; from a place of love and adoration towards Him. I can't tell you how singing a simply song of love to the Lord can tenderize your heart and draw the presence of God near to you. 

Overall, today was pretty amazing. I was so glad that Nate was by my side. The day started with Harry (see Day 34) and then Jeff, who has become a good friend. In praying for Jeff, I really felt the Holy Spirit's strong leading and hit some things that I was glad to have prayed for because it just seemed exactly what was needed. Even Jeff got pretty excited after the prayer. Next, came Eleven and his girlfriend Susie, who are a couple of traveling kids, looking for some dream interpretation. I was a bit nervous, but reminded myself that God reveals and interprets when we ask Him. The dream was another flying dream, but with a twist. After praying aloud in asking God for interpretation, I felt like God was wanting to bring spiritual breakthrough into their lives, but was also speaking directly against their current belief in astrology and their understanding of the universe as being god (pantheism). Nate felt like God was also going to bring change into their lives. They were very receptive to the interpretation and we ended up talking for a bit, until the rest of the friends came by.


Next, came William, who received prayer on Day 34. My friend Dave and I talked with William for probably a hour and prayed for him on three separate occasion. First, we prayed for some things that he lost, which he came back today to tell us that he got back what he had lost. Praise God! Now, from William's own mouth he said that he is angry with God and his chief complaint was that God wasn't talking to him. William has a faith, but it is distorted. So, the second time we prayed we prayed that God would bring revelation to him and prayed against the curse of addiction over his life. After this prayer time, I saw in my mind's eye a veil being lifted off of William's head. He even said that he felt lighter and more at peace. In this instance I felt like God lifted whatever was keeping him from receiving the blessings of God in his life. Today, when he came back he shared that the day after we prayed for him, he passed out in the park and woke up with a cross necklace around his neck (when we were talking he kept admiring my cross necklace) and was so thrilled that God had given him his own cross necklace while he was sleeping. Also, he woke up with money on his chest that someone had left on him. So amazing! Lastly, I felt like God gave me a word of knowledge about what was hindering William from freedom. So, we prayed for that and I truly feel like in that moment, God set William onto the path of healing and restoration. Go God! 


Next, a woman came by who was pushing a cart filled with various things and who also had a street performer permit hanging around her neck. She came by asking if I was a dream interpreter which I told her yes and asked her if she had a dream she wanted interpreted. She said, "No." I then asked her what kind of street performing she did and she said that she was a tarot card reader. When she said this my spirit got excited because this was such an opportunity to show her love and to share Jesus with her. So, I told her that I was also out here praying for people and asked if she needed prayer for anything. She immediately said her marriage was falling apart, but also asked me how I prayed. So, I told her I was a Christian who prayed to God and in Jesus Name. She said that she also was a Christian (but was obviously mixing witchcraft with her Christianity). Regardless, she agreed to me praying for her and so I prayed. It was a powerful moment. The peace and love of God was almost tangible in the air. After the prayer time I asked her how she felt because she was obviously impacted and a little emotional. She just nodded her head and said "Wow" in more of a gasp. But, before I could say anything else she grabbed her cart and started walking down the street. I don't believe it was because she was offended or anything, but because God met her in a very powerful way and left her speechless. Thank You Lord! 


If this wasn't enough, the day ended very sweetly. While I was packing up the prayer sign a very effeminate man came bounding up and blurted out "So you interpret dreams? How very neat. But, are you done for the day?" I told him if he had a dream I had time to interpret. But, he sadly told me, "I never dream, is that bad?" Without really answering his question, I told him that I could pray for him and ask God to give him dreams which he got very excited about. So, I said a very short prayer, asking God to give him dreams of his destiny and reveal to him the purpose he was placed on this earth. It took all of 30 seconds. Afterwards, Justin left just beaming and very excited about the prospect of dreaming and hopefully of being just loved through prayer. From what I gathered this was probably the very first time anyone ever prayed for him because before we prayed he literally said "I've never done this before what do I do?" Seriously, the day couldn't have ended any sweeter. I'm believing that though Justin has long road ahead of him, today his name and image was brought before the throne of God's grace and Jesus has now got His eye on Justin. Thank You Jesus! 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 19

Wow, was it hot out, so today I camped out in the shade. I was still on the same corner, but off a little to the side under a tree. Now, a question that I've been reflecting on since DAY 1 has been: What does it mean to offer a service of prayer to the community?  I am continually revisiting this question as I stand on the street. If, my focus is truly for the people of the community, than I need to be continually positioning my heart towards them in humility. Again, I'm not out here to accomplish some sort of agenda, but solely out here to bless the people of the community with prayer: to go before our Father in Heaven on their behalf with the burdens and desires of their hearts. 

Over the years, the LORD has taken me on a journey of prayer. I can still remember the first years of my salvation and my fear (almost immobilizing at times) of praying aloud in front of people. You see, I was also deathly afraid of public speaking and praying aloud meant doing both. During this season, most of my fears centered on the style and elegance of my prayers. I was so afraid of stumbling over my words or worse yet I'd forget what exactly I was praying, lose my train of thought and then there'd be this long awkward silence. So, oftentimes I would practice what I was going to say in my head a few times before I prayed just to make sure I had it down. Sound familiar? I hope so because I'd hate think I'm no only one, but I have a feeling this is a pretty common. I was stuck projecting an image to God of how I thought I needed to be, rather than simply pursuing intimacy with God  and being real with Him. But, prayer during this season was more about me praying than about connecting with God. 


Fast forward a few years and now I'm in Seminary studying to be a pastor/missionary and I remember being even more terrified of public prayer. You see, going to a Christian university means praying before class. Usually the professor prays but there are those who will choose students to pray instead. Let me tell you, boy did I get nervous in those first few moments before class when I would see the professor surveying the students. But, this time most of my fear came from not wanting to say the "wrong" thing meaning I was afraid that my fellow students were going to critique my prayers to make sure they were theologically sound which was actually a pretty common fear among the students that I actually talked with about this. Needless to say, I've always felt so much pressure when it comes to prayer. Now here I am praying on a street corner for strangers. Who'd a guessed? Only God. 

Sure, there's a lot more to this journey of prayer that the LORD has taken me on, but at the heart of it has always been the reality that God loves talking with me (and you) and shame on those who would critique and judge our prayers because there really is no wrong way to pray. Now for those of you who would say otherwise, I encourage you to read through Psalm 88 and get back to me. You see, I believe God's heart is bigger than anything that we can throw at Him. When I look back on my prayer life, I see a journey of grace, love and transformation. Living this side of Heaven means that we will go through different seasons of faith and life, but we should never feel like we can't go to our Father in Heaven with the hurts and burdens of our hearts. No matter how angry, hurt, bitter, jealous, even volatile we may feel and be at the time, we need to trust that God is bigger and can handle it. God would much rather that we be real with Him and pursue intimacy with Him, than be shallow and superficial with Him by projecting some image to Him of how we think we should be.


The devil would also love to stop us from praying to God, even discourage us by getting us believing that there is a set way or form when it comes to prayer, which indirectly implies that there is a wrong way to pray. The devil knows that if he can drive a wedge between us and God, then he can rob us from experiencing God's love, protection, favor, blessing and provisions. So, I'll put the question out there again: Is there a wrong way to pray? I'm hoping you're catching my heart on this. God meets us right where we're at and He loves us unconditionally. Just recently, I was asked a question from a fellow believer who put her faith on hold for awhile. She asked me, "Gerry, do you think that God's mad at me for not praying and talking to Him for so long?" I told her, "No, God never holds any resentment towards us, He loves us unconditionally and is simply delighted and overjoyed every time that we choose to pray and talk with Him." God loves being in relationship with us and waits patiently for us to begin pursuing Him just as passionately as He is continually pursuing us. 


So, back to the question: What does it mean to offer a service of prayer to the community?  I believe it means praying for people's spoken and unspoken needs. I fully understand that stepping out in prayer can be scary at times and I'm not here to judge or critique their prayer requests, I'm only here to stand with them in order to ask our Father in Heaven to draw near to them (sometimes for the very first time) through prayer. Today, I was honored to be able to do that for Paloma, Jim and Kiomi. I know from personal experience that God is able and the longer I lean into Jesus for strength and security, the more confident I've become in prayer. And I pray that God would impart to every person I am privileged to pray with the grace, confidence and understanding that He has given me to them when it comes to prayer. So this is my prayer: Faither God, pour out your grace on people and empower them to draw near to you. Set them free from fear, shame and guilt and release more love, life and redemption into their lives. In Jesus Name, Amen. 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 3

After yesterday's conversation with God in the importance of praying for the people I see walking by because many of them have never ever been prayed for before, I started the day with a renewed passion for intercessory prayer. But, I was deeply challenged today in this. Let me explain, I love to pray out loud. That's how I typically pray these days. I truly believe there is power in speaking prayers aloud. I mean God Himself spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1). Also, when we speak our prayers aloud, we are literally engaging in spiritual warfare with the spiritual dark forces in the world. 

But, that's not why I was challenged today. I was challenged today in not wanting to look like a crazy person. Remember the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1? If not, here's a short recap, Hannah goes to the temple to pray that God would bless her with a son. Well, Eli the priest sees her and thinks that she's talking to herself and accuses her of being drunk. Now, imagine you see some "religious" person standing on the corner talking aloud with nobody around (without a bluetooth or headphones). I'm thinking fanatic or crazy may come to mind. So, here I am with this burning desire to pray for people, but having to do it without speaking. Don't get me wrong I do also pray quietly to myself at times, but when it comes to intercession, proclaiming it out loud is what I prefer. Anyways, I am learning. 

For most of the day, I felt like I was walking a tightrope. I felt caught between the tension of wanting to love and pray with people but not wanting to be too pushy about it. Today was a day where I felt in my spirit the push back from people for being out here. What I kept sensing from more than a few people (and I believe I will continue to sense this) is this: "Oh, here's yet another Christian who's trying to force his beliefs on me." I can literally see some of them tense up as they come near me, even before I say anything. It's like their waiting for me to yell at them or something. So, most of the time I've been just smiling and saying hi to people. I mean I do have the sign so they know why I'm there and I am planning on having the Mobile Prayer Station there for the summer, so I feel like I need to focus on building bridges with people. Again, it's gonna be a learning experience in understanding what it means to be the Lord's gospel light of love for this community. 

Now don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy being out here. I feel like I am offering a vital service to the community. In fact, I got to pray for three people today, Dave, Christy and Jamie. All of whom were at different places in faith and life. Christy and Jamie had a faith, Dave did not. I enjoyed speaking and praying with all three of them. But, I must always be aware of the reality that we are all journeying through life and that people are gonna be at all sorts of different places. What I am realizing is that there are a lot of people who really have no concept of God, let alone prayer or they've been terribly hurt by the church or other Christians. But at the end of the day, I'm convinced that it's not so much about worrying about whether or not I'm offending people, but about having the patience, tenacity and desire to love and continue to love people regardless of how they may treat me. I mean aren't those Jesus' words: "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44 NIV). 

Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 2

Today was more about me than others. I was dragging my feet today because it was pretty chilly out. But then I heard the Lord ask me: "Are you a fair-weather Christian?" Now I know this could have had a variety of meanings, for my situation it seemed to touch on both the physical (the weather) and the spiritual (commitment and obedience). You see, when the Lord first gave me the vision for the Mobile Prayer Station, I had a strong impression that it was to be a daily ministry. At the heart of the ministry is to make prayer available to the lost children of God by going into their midst. Prayer has been described many ways, but I believe the best description of prayer is this: spending time with God and allowing Him to lavish His grace and love upon you. From the beginning that has always been my sense of God's heart in all of this. He wants to touch people through me with His love and grace.

To be honest there weren't many people out today because of the weather. But of the few people I saw, I prayed for, not with but for. I need to confess something, I am sometimes afraid of getting prophetic revelations from God because I'm afraid of the responsibility of stewarding these revelations. But the more I thought this through, the more I begin to see the foolishness of my ways. I felt the Holy Spirit lovingly nudge me through this by asking me "Who are you to reject revelation from God?" Let me tell you, in that moment all of my wishy-washiness about receiving prophetic revelation from God dissipated. The Holy Spirit was right (of course), if the God of the universe desires to reveal things to me, I best listen. So after repenting for my fear and foolishness I begin listening and asking God for prophetic revelation about the people walking by. So for the rest of time, God spoke and I prayed.

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit reminded me of something He spoke to me many years ago. Roughly around 8 years ago, I was stopped at a red light while driving my car. Now, as I was watching this lady walk cross the street, the Spirit of God overwhelmed me with an urgency to pray for this woman and I quote the Spirit's voice in verbatim here: "No one has ever prayed for her, neither her name nor her image has ever been brought before the throne of God." When I heard this, my heart broke. Needless to say, I couldn't begin to pray for her fast enough.

Now even though I didn't get to pray with anyone today. I did get to pray for quite a few people and I am betting that for many of them it may have been the very first time their image was ever brought before the throne of God. Think about this reality as you spend your day, of the many people you will see, even talk to today how many of them do you think have never ever been prayed for? How many of them have never had their name or image brought before God's throne of grace? You could be the first. "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

simple Fruit

Over the last several years, the Lord has been simplifying my life. This has been an inward transformative work by the Holy Spirit that is now bearing outward fruit. This simple, yet lasting fruit is allowing me to be content in the midst of a town called Morogoro, Tanzania. I have been here for the last few days waiting on a translator while my friend David is in Dar es Salaam procuring a car among other goods for our journey. Morogoro is a rural town with not much in terms of modern world amenities. It is a simple life here, where the power can go out at any moment (just the other day, January 17, 2011, it was out for nearly 10 hours). Small street side shops line dusty roads while others sell their wares on sidewalks. The larger shops have generators which are a God send when the power fails.

Now what the Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me is that it is by the grace of God I can be content here (or anywhere for that matter). You maybe saying well of course, but the way this grace has been apportioned to me is two-fold. First, providentially there is the inward transformative work He’s done in freeing me from the stranglehold of materialism which has helped me to gain a greater eternal perspective on life in general. It’s sad how much influence materialism has and consumerism for that matter (because you can’t have materialism without consumerism) in clouding a person’s judgment and perspective. Add to this the many years the Lord has impressed upon me the need to live a fasted lifestyle also helps to keep the world at bay. The fruit of much of this good work has manifested itself in the contentment of living a simple lifestyle.

This is not to say that I don’t need or want things because I do, but these desires no longer control me. Pressing into the Lord is becoming more and more of my first impulse rather than a second, third, even last resort. Case and point, I’ve spent a day fasting and praying alone in my room while here in Morogoro because seeing the Father’s Kingdom agenda happen has become more important than sightseeing or eating out. Again, I give all praise to God for this because it is by His providential grace of transformation through the Holy Spirit that this is now my passion and reality. Secondly, I would add that God is continually lavishing His grace upon all people, but it is His children who have learned to more readily receive and depend on His grace. Compound this with the prayers of my supporters and I truly am blessed. His grace truly is new each and every morning and I feel His grace through their prayers. If this is you, THANK YOU! Together we can by God's grace!

Mercy Me: spoken for

This song is in many ways my heart's cry for all people, but specifically for those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction because they are the ones who are being destroyed by their all-consuming desire for the things of this world (drugs and alcohol) at such an alarming and tragic rate. Whenever I see someone caught in such bondage to their lust for the world, the Spirit of God moves my heart to begin praying that Jesus would set them free into His eternal Kingdom of grace and freedom where they are covered by Divine Love, where God puts His hand upon their life and says to the devil, "No more! This one is mine!" and where their hearts are completely spoken for: sold out for Jesus.

Pennies HEART

The guys at Phos Pictures never fail to move my heart towards hope. This video is especially endearing: who's heart doesn't break when they see kids in distress? I couldn't even begin to imagine what this family went through. The Scripture passage that comes to mind is "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us" (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 NLT). God is the great Comforter, but He also empowers His people to comfort others. I love that a community of people gathered around this family and comforted, prayed and cared for them. For me that's a clear picture of the family of God: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35 NIV).

Hillsong United: here in my life

In the heat of the battle when darkness tries to overcome and consume me, I can forget that Jesus is ever with me and for me. I mean, are not the schemes of the devil to drive a wedge between my Savior and me? To make me believe that God has turned His back on me or that He is angry and disappointed with me. But, this couldn't be further from the Truth. Lately, I've been really meditating on God's grace and the reality that because I am His child, He will NEVER be angry nor disappointed in me because all of His anger and disappointment was poured out onto Jesus at the cross. I am God's favorite (as we all are) and He really, really, really likes spending time with me. He delights in ME and will never turn His back to me! It doesn't matter what I've done or haven't done because it's me the person, His creation, that He loves. Jesus is always with me - loving me even when I feel so very undeserving of His love and compassion. Thank You Father for Your grace!

All That I Am

Lost in this world full of demons and ghosts,
I walk heavy-laden with their spittle upon my soul.
Enshrouded in darkness, their essence hardens all that I am, trapping me
within a solid steel shell that hinders
my walk back towards You. Enslaved and filled
with the evil desires from this other worldly land, You
shower me with love, gently nurturing me with a kind hand
replacing these lustful wants with a simple love and devotion
which starts to soften all that I am.

With the knowledge of this new found love and devotion, questions
surface and pour out from the deepest part of my soul.
Is there something more to this spiritual world?
Can there be a new beginning? Can I be set free?
Fear grips me in its steel grasp, sending me
reeling in insecurity to a vacuous stronghold. Frozen
in an arctic desert of uncertainty, I stand
shivering in space. Fiery missiles rain down from above - penetrating
this hardened layer, this false covering. Spearing
into the ground, crackling the frozenness, baking
the land, melting its cold comfort
which starts to warm all that I am.

Beginning by opening my heart, You purposefully speak
directly to my spirit, reassuring me that the deep ache within
me will be finally filled and that I will be free.
Hearing Your Word as it starts to pour into my soul, You
answer all my questions that now flow freely out to You.
Longing for the quiet peacefulness of Your arms, I wait -
with an open heart and willing spirit as Your transcending
peace envelopes me, basking me in a light
of purity, housing me in a true safe haven
which starts to reshape all that I am.

Throw me into the fire of forgiveness, purge me
of all this misbegotten shame and guilt, mold me
into a man of character, into a man of integrity, refining
all that I am into all that I will ultimately become.

Angels & Airwaves: Letters to God, Part II

This song is a good reminder to me that we are all searching. We all desire meaning and purpose. We all want to know and be known. Aren't these the cries of every one's heart? I know they are mine. But, living in this postmodern world where everything is relative, life can quickly deteriorate to meaninglessness. It truly is a sad day when people become the makers of truth, because, between you and me, I don't know that many people really qualify. Right? I think that's what these lyrics mean: "And dear God, I found out the same things we learn when we die. I found out the truth is it's all a big lie. I find that the words are hard to describe. I tell you I'm lost here, awaiting reply."

There needs to be some sort of Truth that is greater than me, that is outside of me, that has always existed. That's why I find comfort that God is eternal and His Truth spans all time and space. So, when life becomes just another merry-go-round ride that gets old and meaningless fast. We can always turn to God, who's Truth will hold us up and give us meaning, purpose and hope. When there is nowhere left to turn, God will always be there. "All the phones have rung and rung. They're off the hook, all but one. And all the mail stacked up inside, up from the floor, a mile high. And like one would, like a child, I'm asking, like I could knock on your door. Will you let me in?"

When we come to God, He will always be there to welcome us. That's what I love about God, when we come to Him, He doesn't gives us the old "I told you so" line. No, He just welcomes us with open arms and with great delight. No questions asked, just love because God is love and He's completely overjoyed that we've come Him. When we come near to God, He will come near to us (James 4:8a). Don't ever believe that God doesn't want you. He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, to show us just how much He wants us. Choose Jesus and choose Truth and Life.

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).

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?

Acceptance vs. Tolerance

I've just finished the book ChurchNEXT by Eddie Gibbs (IVP, 2000). In the scope of the whole emergent/missional church movement, it was published in the beginning stages and was groundbreaking in addressing some of the ecclesial models that were in transition at the time. What was of main interest to me was his treatment of the need for apostolic leaders. Being an apostolic leaders means being missionally-minded by living and keeping in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25), who reminds believers of Jesus' teachings (John 14:26) and leads them into all truth (John 16:13) while empowering believers (2 Tim 1:7) to continue the ongoing mission that Jesus began 2000 years ago.

"Apostolic leaders must have a profound understanding of the nature of their mission and be concerned to pursue that mission using all their God-given faculties. Yet at the same time they must remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, responding to course corrections and to unexpected, seemingly insurmountable obstacles - which are not always sent by Satan to frustrate progress but may be part of God's overall scheme, the complexity of which we humans cannot hope to fully understand, much less resolve (111)."

Now this mission that all believers are on needs to be confrontational, yet filled with grace and truth while focused on transformation. Living in a postmodern, even post-Christian world where truth is viewed as relative, where personal values supersede objective truth and where tolerance has seized the day, the reality of the matter is that conflict is inevitable. Now, while in the midst of this conflict, we are commanded to be lovingly accepting (Rom 14:9-13), but "The goal of acceptance is to work towards transformation, not that people should feel more comfortable about their sins (200)." This includes not only persons, but whole cultures becuase "The gospel judges each culture according to its compatibility with the focus, values and goals of the kingdom of God....There will be unfulfilled cultural aspirations that the gospel will bring to fruition. There will be demonic elements in every culture on which the gospel passes judgment (221)."