Cece Winans: alabaster box

A reoccurring prophetic word that I have gotten from the Lord for numerous people has been the image of an alabaster jar inside people's hearts being broken open. Sometimes their hearts are literally shaped like an alabaster jar. Now inside these alabaster jars is always the fragrance of worship and devotion, inside is the freedom to worship and love Jesus without shame or restraint. Many times when I share this with the people I am praying for, they confirm that they feel stuck, dry, even constrained in their hearts. 

But, just as the very presence of Jesus undid the woman in Bethany setting her free to worship and adore Him without caring who was around (Matthew 26:6-12; Mark 14:1-11; Luke 7:36-50), so the Lord's desire for these people was to increase His presence in their lives, breaking open the alabaster jar within their hearts and setting them free to worship and adore Him without restraint. Allowing the fragrance of worship and devotion to flow freely from their hearts in greater and greater measure. 

So this is my prayer: Lord, there are so many people who feel locked down in their hearts, unable to offer You the worship and devotion that they know You deserve. So, I pray Lord that You would increase Your presence in their lives, breaking open the alabaster jar within their hearts and setting them free to worship and adore You with wild abandon. Where the fragrance of worship and devotion will continually surround them and even be released into the atmosphere wherever they go. In Your Name Jesus, Amen.  

Khan Academy: leveraging globalization for educational progress

 

Watching this video makes me happy, especially after watching the documentary "Waiting for Superman" which really painted a pretty abysmal and depressing picture of the current public school system in America. Though I don't see the Kahn Academy as an end all be all solution, it is a giant leap in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how this approach of customized learning for individual students will change the present educational models. In many ways, Kahn Academy is addressing the major issue of poor quality teachers by helping fill in the gaps by coming alongside students as a their own personal teaching assistant. I especially appreciate the global vision of peer-to-peer tutoring  (where students can help tutor students on the other side of the world) which leverages globalization in a positive way. 

When it comes to globalization, there are many pros and cons which people much more educated in the matter can explain far more articulate than me. But, from my perspective I feel the cons out weigh the pros. Now, hear me on this, I'm not saying that there aren't some good things happening through globalization, but there are some downsides: the greatest being monoculturalism. I see a lot of value and beauty in the diversity of peoples and cultures, I mean creation is about diversity which globalization seeks to homogenize. In order to preserve the unique beauty that the many cultures of the world hold, a higher value needs to be placed on celebrating cultural diversity by embracing a more multicultural perspective, rather than sinking into the monoculture that globalization (and postmodernism) seeks to create. The reason that this is so important is because at the end of the day, there is no stopping the globalization machine. So, embrace and celebrate the cultural diversity that surrounds you today!

Rita Springer: in this forever

I ran across this song this morning as I was scrolling through my Facebook News Feed (Rita Springer's artist Facebook page is one of the many pages that I like). It's from her latest live album with the same title. Hearing this song was a good reminder that following Jesus is forever. It's true. When I read through the Scriptures I am confronted with the heavy weight of eternity. The salvation of our souls did not come at an easy price. No, the redemption of all creation caused Jesus unimaginable suffering, not to mention His very life.

I heard this preached and it has forever changed the way that I view Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. The preacher said, "Now, I can't say for certain that Jesus suffered more physical and emotional pain than any other person ever suffered when He was crucified on a cross, but what I do know is that Jesus was the only person who ever suffered the full weight of God's wrath for sin." That my friends is unimaginable suffering and is the heavy weight of eternity that Jesus bore so that we could be with Him in eternal paradise.

Jesus is in this forever and we are to have His same attitude. There was no turning back for Jesus. He knew this the very moment He decided to step down out of Heaven: "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-8 NLT).

Following Jesus isn't always going to be easy. But I believe, if our hearts remain tender towards God, then the longer we follow Jesus, the more we will feel the heavy weight of eternity that He has placed upon our shoulders.The burden to preach the Good News to a broken, hurting and dying world while caring for the sick, the poor, the imprisoned, the fatherless, the widow, the orphan, the lost and the hopelessly addicted. And this burden will far out weigh whatever trial may come our way as we make our way through this fallen world. But, this will mean truly deciding with all that you are (mind, heart and will) that no matter the cost, you are in this with Jesus forever.

So this is my prayer: "Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice on a Cross for sin earned you the praise and worship of all creation. Thank You Lord for bearing the full weight of God's wrath for sin and taking upon Yourself my punishment. Truly, I am healed, saved, redeemed and restored in You. Holy Spirit transform me and place within me the fortitude to stand for Jesus no matter the cost. I proclaim today in this moment that I am in this with You Jesus forever and ever. In Your Name Jesus, Amen."

Hillsong United: search my heart

Everyday I am confronted with the reality of a fallen world that is constantly trying to distract me from walking with Jesus. Each and everyday I come to mini-crossroads where I can either choose to follow Jesus and submit to God's ways or I can choose to follow my own understanding that has been largely influenced by the world's ways. I believe that at all times, there lies before a person two kinds of paths: 1) paths which have been set in place by the world and its standards and 2) paths that have been established by God. The bible verse that comes to mind is one of the very first scriptures that I ever memorized and says: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NIV 2011).

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I am confronted with the reality that the ways of the world are consistently in opposition to the ways of God. When I read about Jesus' life in the Gospels, what I see is a life lived in passionate reverence and faith towards God. A life birthed out of a love relationship with God that was founded on respect and intimacy. Jesus knew of and experienced the Father's unconditional love and responded with His own unconditional love in return. I long to walk with God as Jesus did when He lived among us on earth, but this means continually submitting myself to the spiritual surgery of the Holy Spirit in purifying my heart of its desire to walk in the ways of the world, rather than in God's ways.

So this is my heart's cry and prayer: Father in Heaven, "search my heart and search my soul. There is nothing else that I want more. Shine Your light and show Your face. In my life, Lord have Your way. Hear my cry and hear my prayer. Draw me close, so I know You're near. Give me strength and give me grace to walk with You Lord, all my days" In Jesus Name, Amen.