Love

"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dreams are being fulfilled

Today dreams are being fulfilled.

I wrote the following in my journal last night during worship at Bethel:

"There is a joy in the room tonight during worship. We just watched Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I have a dream' speech. Our level of expectancy is rising in the room. Dreams from long ago are starting to be fulfilled. We are encouraged. And we're ready to see what's about to unfold.

Today is MLK Day. Who we are today as a class, church, city, state, and country is the fulfillment of a dream spoken of by MLK. We are the fulfillment of his dream he declared in 1963. Blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics and many others are gathered around together worshiping tonight, thanking God that MLK's dream came to fruition. 

Shawn Bolz is speaking in a little while and he once had a dream that a generation would be raised up that carried radical things. And that not just the leaders of a movement would hear from God, prophesy and heal, but that an entire generation would be equipped to do those things. We are a fulfillment of that dream. 

Tomorrow, President Elect Barack Obama will become the President of the United States. He will be the first black president. He will usher in equality, courage and compassion in a way that can only be done by him. He is an equal, and he is the fulfillment of a dream. " 

Today as I watched Obama accept the Presidency, I was overwhelmed with emotion. This is an awesome time in history and I feel so honored to get to be a part of it. 

I'm committed to praying for our new President. I want him to succeed. I want him to be honored. I want him to encounter God in new ways. I want him to increase in knowledge and wisdom. I want him to increase in compassion. He is a symbol of hope to so many Americans. I pray that God would use him powerfully to rally this nation together. We are powerful when we are unified. And as easy as it is to hate on someone you don't necessarily agree with, I am choosing to love and not hate. To speak highly of him and to bless him. And I am making a declaration that he will do things in this country that no other president has been able to do. He was brought in for such a time as this. He has something to offer this generation. And it's going to be awesome to see it manifest.

The Year of Restoration

2008 was the "Year of New Beginnings." 

2009 is the "Year of Restoration."  I believe this refers to the restoration of apostles to the church. The restoration of the mothers and fathers of faith for this generation. Restoration of 5-fold ministry. Restoration of identities. Restoration of dreams. Restoration of relationships and hearts. Of purity and beauty. Of love and of what grace was intended to be (not just a ticket to heaven, but the keys that unlock realms of the impossible). 

One exercise we did in school several weeks ago was one regarding our identity and declaration. We all laid out on the floor and spent 1 1/2-2 hours asking God to tell us who we were. Soaking music played in the background as we started to see things in us that we always hoped would be there. Things that we never thought possible. Things that we'd been dreaming about since we were children. New things that seemed unfathomable, but were completely possible with a limitless God. The interns walked around and prophesied over us which helped confirm many of the things the Spirit was telling us. 

At the end of this time, many of us had written down page after page of all the things God had showed us. In a sense, God had cast a vision for us for our lives. 

One by one we lined up to make declarations to our class about who we were, and how God saw us. This was tough because God spoke to a lot of insecurities and lies that we believed about ourselves, and we had to stand in front of 70+ people and tell people the truth about who we were. The truth about what was deep inside of us. The truth that we had been concealing and hiding from others. The things we weren't ready for people to know. The things we didn't think we could steward once others knew about them. I wanted to share two different things here with you; who God told me that I am, and then my declarations and dreams that I have for the year 2009. 

I am a healer of hearts and relationships.

I will change the way people hear and think about God.

I make people feel at home.

I am a safe place for people. In me people can find rest. 

I carry radical grace and peace and I will continually walk into deeper and deeper levels of freedom.

I will see healing by touching without prayer.

I am marked for greatness.

I'm worth getting to know.

I carry an inner strength that can be imparted.

I am significant and loved.

I am beautiful. 

I am worth encouraging.

I am a treasure-hunter in heaven. 

I will have radical encounters with God and see visions and angels.

I carry a spirit of revelation.

I have the keys that unlock God's heart. 

I will carry the love of Jesus to hundreds of nations. 

I will see hospital numbers decrease and the need for hospitals decrease because sickness will no longer be able to hold a candle to the sons and daughters of God that are rising up and stepping into their identities.

For 2009:

I will see thousands healed. I will see nations being discipled. I will encounter God in new and radical ways. I will walk and grow in intimacy daily. I will see hearts healed. People will encounter God through my art. We will be blessed financially. Our dreams will increase 100-fold. Night-time sleep will be full of the sweetness of the presence of God. Revelation of Jesus and of heaven and of God's heart will happen daily. We will have angelic visitations. Patrick and I will go to places in the Spirit together. Our families will start to be transformed by the love that we carry and steward. Whenever we take territory, others will also get that territory (Deut. 11:24). Life will be abundant. We will see the dead raised and it will be normal. Patrick will get business ideas. I will find my place here and have clarity added to my passions and heart. 

The cool thing about dreams is that we can dream in two ways. One: we can dream dreams that are so big that they can't be completed in our lifetime. Two: we can dream dreams that would be impossible unless God showed up.  So....basically we need to dream BIG. bigger than we ever thought possible. Because God wants to show up in BIG ways. 

So start dreaming big dreams and let God show up. Dreams are being restored this year. :)

Your Love is Like

Your love is like the rain

Falling on my soul

It's covering every place

Making gardens grow

The sweetness overflows

Pouring from your lips

The kisses from above

Let the heavens drip

Let 'em drip down

Let 'em drip down

Your love is like the ocean

I'm drowning in your Presence

Your love is like the ocean

I'm drowning in your Presence

Getting lost in the gaze of your eyes

Getting lost in the warmth of your smile

Getting lost in the gaze of your eyes

Getting lost in the warmth of your smile

Your love is like a room

Full of precious jewels

It takes my breath away

There's riches beyond words

When it's just me and you

I can't remember storms

All I can do

Is melt into your arms

Your love is like the ocean 

I'm drowning in your Presence

Let the heavens drip

Let 'em drip down

Let 'em drip down

Let the heavens drip down

"Your Love is Like" -Rick Pino

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn4oT0QJyNY

The last of the homeless for now...

Round 3:

The top picture is a picture of our 200+ Christmas presents that we passed out to all the homeless men.

Homeless Outreach Continued

Round 2

1. Top left: Homeless man that we have been getting to know. Top right: the guy in the yellow shirt danced and worshipped the whole time we were down at the parking lot. Paul, Sherri, Kristen, Stevie and a few others brought instruments and sang Christmas songs, and this guy was dancing 45 minutes before they started and all the way up until we left. Bottom left: this guy had been shot in both legs a few years ago, and has never been able to walk without his leg brace and cane. He got completely healed and the rest of the afternoon walked around carrying his cane and his brace. Bottom right: Scott prayed for this guy who has been deaf since birth, and slowly he started being able to hear noises from certain distances, and by the end his ears completely opened up and he could hear whispers.

Homeless Outreach

1.
2.
3. 
4.

What each picture is all about:

1. Scott Thompson got a word at Jesus Culture Dallas that whenever he'd go into a city, there would be a white-breasted hawk as a symbol that God is giving him the keys to that particular city. From the moment we got to the parking lot for our outreach Christmas party, a white-breasted hawk flew into a tree that overlooks the parking lot. He stayed til we started to pack up.

2. The Hug Line: All the homeless men had to line up and come through our "Hug Line" in order to get a Christmas gift (hygiene kits, blankets, ponchos, hats, gloves, and scarves), coffee, hot chocolate, candy and cake. 

3. Our friend Jonathan got up out of his wheelchair for the first time in TWO YEARS about 3 weeks ago. He's been practicing walking every day and wanted to take 2 laps around the parking lot to show us how good he's been getting. He has had severe rhumatoid arthritis, but God is healing him more each day. 

4. These four are all significant. The top left corner is our weekly homeless outreach team praying in the parking lot. This is the parking lot where all the men gather to get hot meals from other churches, and lots of love from us. We have taken back this territory for the last 5 months and are seeing incredible changes happen...people leaving and getting jobs, people getting healed, people wanting to pray with us for their friends....and so much more. The top right corner is Warren holding Jonathan's hand as they walked around the parking lot. "Every place that the sole of your foot treads will be yours" Deut 11:24. The bottom left picture is of Drew Kaiser praying before going down to the parking lot. And the bottom right picture is of Ralph praying over all the beds that the men sleep in every night. 

Blogger won't let me post any more pictures right now, but I'll add some a little bit later. 

Identity

This post will be short, and hopefully I'll expand on this topic later on, but I wanted to touch on the importance of knowing our identity. 

When we become a Christian, every sin, past, present, and future gets nailed to the cross. We become engrafted into Christ's lineage and we are no longer "sinners," but saints. So when people say that they are a "sinner saved by grace," that's not right. We no longer claim sin as our own. It is no longer a part of our nature. We have a new nature and we have the mind of Christ. We have stepped into the "holy priesthood." We are adopted sons and daughters of God. To still claim anything from our old nature would mean that a)we don't believe that God's work on the cross was sufficient to cover all of our sins or b)we have forgotten what we lost and what we gained through Christ. 

We need to know our identity.  We live out of who we believe that we are. If we believe we are sinners, we are only going to see the multitude of sin in our lives. We won't see the incredible gifts God has placed inside of us, nor will we want to grow those gifts for His glory. If we believe that we were made for "greater things" than Jesus did (John 14:12), we will live to a higher standard of purity and of righteousness because we fully know and believe in who we are. We will see God's standard, and know that Christ in us makes that standard possible. Nothing is impossible with God. 

The prophetic is hearing God's voice for someone else. The purpose of the prophetic is to call out the "gold" in people. To bring out who God has created them to be. To cast a vision for the anointing that they have and the call on their life.  Scott Thompson tells a story about how purity was a big issue in his life around the time when he became a Christian. But he had all these people around him telling him that he was going to "break the chains off of a generation." We need people to remind us of the amazing things that we are called to do. Sometimes we are so bogged down in sin that we can't see the call on our lives. We're still in the "process" of realizing our call and vision. 

In our homeless outreach, we don't point fingers and tell people what they're doing wrong. We tell them how great they are and what incredible things they are capable of. Having the gold in them called out reminds them that they are called to greater things. That they are better than their situation. They feel empowered and not defeated. They feel loved and encouraged. They start living like they believe they are awesome and worth it and capable of chasing after the big dreams God placed inside them. They want to believe that they are great and talented, but the world keeps shouting at them that they are worthless. Sadly much of the Church screams the same message.

 "All creation is longing for the sons of God to be revealed..." (Romans 8:19). All creation is longing for us to start walking in the fullness of who we are. To rise up. To believe that we are called to do "greater things" than Jesus did. To heal the sick. To raise the dead. To love and give extravagantly. To know the presence of God and feel the shifts of His Spirit. To make earth as it is in heaven. Not to sit in a corner and say we aren't good enough, that we don't have the skills, to say that there is nothing good in us...saying that there is nothing good in the creation does not glorify the Creator. 

We are saints that have been created in God's image. It's time that we live like we believe who God says that we are. 

I'll Stand By You

I've heard this song a million times, but yesterday I heard it on the radio and it sounded different. Maybe I just finally listened to the words and the heart behind the song, but it really moved me. Carrie Underwood sang it for "Idol Gives Back" and it put the song in the context of those of us who have plenty, rushing to the aid of those who have little. Idol was doing a huge push for people with AIDS in Africa, and those that live in dire poverty. The video clips were raw and uncut, but there was such a beauty in the people that they showed. Idol ended up donating millions of dollars to help those in need. To help those in the world who don't have access to any kind of medical care, food, water, shelter, or schooling. They put forth a tremendous effort to bless others, and it was such an honor to see America rise up and stand for a cause bigger than itself.

There are also parts of this song that I believe God sings to us. "nothing you could confess would make me love you less" "let me see you through because I've seen the dark side too" "let me come along because even if you're wrong, I'll stand by you" "take me into your darkest hour and Ill never desert you." I think the message of "I'll Stand By You" is beautiful and complete. a picture of a God with the heart of a father, rushing to the aid of His children. oh how He loves us so.


Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Dont be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
cause Ive seen the dark side too


When the night falls on you
You dont know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less


Ill stand by you
Ill stand by you
Wont let nobody hurt you
Ill stand by you


So if youre mad, get mad
Dont hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?
I get angry too
Well Im a lot like you


When youre standing at the crossroads
And dont know which path to choose
Let me come along
cause even if youre wrong
Ill stand by you


Ill stand by you
Wont let nobody hurt you
Ill stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And Ill never desert you
Ill stand by you

And when...When the night falls on you, baby
Youre feeling all alone
You wont be on your own

Ill stand by you
Ill stand by you
Wont let nobody hurt you
Ill stand by you


Take me in, into your darkest hour
And Ill never desert you
Ill stand by youIll stand by you
Wont let nobody hurt you
Ill stand by you
Wont let nobody hurt you
Ill stand by you

-The Pretenders, "I'll Stand By You" (as sung by Carrie Underwood)

Finding Vision and Purpose

http://www.kvministries.com/blog/?p=41


This is a blog by Kris Vallotton (his son wrote this particular entry) regarding the election and where we stand as a nation. He casts a vision and a purpose for the Church during this "season." It's so challenging and convicting to me. I hope you guys enjoy it!