Song of the Week #18

Here's another great one from Jesus Culture. This whole DVD (Consumed) is excellent. The line, "Wake up the normal life", is what hooked me. Enjoy.

Song of the Week #17

Embracing Mystery

Two weeks ago I wrote about taking God at His word. Today I’m gonna tell ya about the 2^nd big thing I’ve been doing recently: embracing mystery.

I have a tendency to want to know exactly how things are going to play out in my life. No matter the area, I want to have a plan and a good idea of how things are gonna look once I get there, and how things are gonna look along the way. Before I even start moving from Point A, I not only want to know about Point B, but I also gotta know what the path in between holds—does it have some cool restaurants, a sweet place to hang out and relax for a while, a few rough patches that I need to brace for??

That desire to know how everything is going to work has kept me from experiencing the biggest and best things of God. Yes, God has still blessed me tremendously; even when I’m operating with little faith...trying to do things pretty much by my own power. But He wants to bless me more.

To get that real good stuff, I believe it’s gonna take more faith—faith that says, “I don’t need to know how you are going to do everything; I just know you will.” I have to believe what I can’t completely comprehend. Though my mind may initially say it’s impossible, my entire being has to get on board and embrace the Kingdom reality.

God’s ways and methods are higher than ours. Does it not make sense that He can work things in ways that are beyond our comprehension? Does He not constantly do things that are beyond rational explanation? You don’t have to see everything with your naked eyes to know that it is happening! 2^nd Corinthians 5:7 says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” We’ve gotta embrace the things that we can’t see naturally. We’ve gotta be ok with not having control.

When you start to take God at His word and believe what He says to you, your faith starts to rise up. Even when things seem bad, you trust and believe that what the Lord has told you is going to come to pass. This is the kind of attitude that flows into embracing mystery. Even though you have no clue how things are going to work out, you just believe that it will.

Pretty soon you notice yourself actually enjoying the mystery of it all. Watching God work becomes like a game of peek-a-boo when you were a little kid. Ha. You just end up falling all over the place in laughter and joy as you bask in the blessings He is pouring out on you.

Ya know, little kids don’t wonder how their parents are always there, always putting food in front of them, or clothes on them, or taking them places and showing them things they’ve never seen before—they just know it happens. They don’t question it. They laugh and have fun and enjoy the ride. Let us become more like children with our Heavenly Father. He’s a good Dad.

Song of the Week #16

Guest Blog: Brennen and prayer

I've got lots to say, but I'm gonna hold off a bit and give ya this short and awesome post from my friend, Brennen. You can feel the excitement and anticipation when you read this. If you are seeing this on the original post date (its 12:57pm on 10/15/10), then come by Promiseland Metro anytime today --> 101 E. 2nd St., Owensboro, Kentucky.

Glimpses of Life

Today is the day. Our 24 hour prayer day at Promiseland Metro Church is on it's way! We are 2 and a half hours into our 24 and I am already being changed and renewed. I explained this whole process like a mother being pregnant. I feel like I'm pregnant. And that today is delivery day. I'm not the only one either that feels this way. I believe whole heartedly that this prayer movement is birthing something special.
So, here I am. In the delivery room. Watching a couple cling to each other while in prayer. Watching another young man sold out the Lord seeking his will. Glory! I am seeing glimpses and signs of life. :) It's already been conceived. And I'm beginning to feel the heartbeat of it all. I'm beginning to feel it kick. And I am so excited. I don't know what exactly God is going to birth during these 24 hours, but I do know it's going to be many things. Things for individuals, couples, families, church families, this city, our state, our nation, and people all across the world.
I posted on my facebook that people could send me texts with prayer requests. I've already received over 10. I am blown away. The time is now. People are hungry. They want more. They know that there is more. Prayer is the avenue of change. Prayer is the road to freedom and breakthrough.
What are the glimpses of life that you've seen in your own ministries? In your life? Seek after it. And walk into it. The glimpses are beautiful things. I pray I never take it for granted.



So Jesus, thank you for this beautiful day of prayer. Fill up this house with your glory. Overflow our lives. Speak to us. Give us the ears to hear. Give us the obedience to obey. Thank you Jesus. I love you Lord. Amen.

Enjoy the Journey

I’m a pretty goal-oriented kind of guy. I’ve got dreams in my heart that I’m working towards and I don’t mind putting forth the effort to help those dreams come to fruition. But I don’t know if it’s all too healthy the way I approach things sometimes. I catch myself always looking forward to the next big thing—the next big milestone where I can hang my hat and say, “Yep, I’ve gotten this far.” But then, when I get there, it’s immediately off to the next task…with hardly any time spent in celebration or appreciation of the place I’ve “arrived”.

I’ve realized that the vast majority of my life is spent in the in-between; i.e. the huge expanse of time connecting Points Y and Z. And when my mind is constantly fixated on attaining the next big marker in life, it makes all that in-between time frustrating as crap. It’s really hard to enjoy the process when the process is what is suspending the goal!

So I’m trying to enjoy the journey more, ya know, since the whole thing is a journey anyways. I’m trying to take pleasure in each day for what it is and thank God for being able to be a part of it. I mean, He has blessed me tremendously already…how easily I forget what He’s already done.

* * * * *

I encourage you to take a few minutes today and think not about what you’ve got coming up, or the things you’ve got to do before you go to bed, but consider the path you’ve already traveled and where the Lord has already blessed you. Maybe it’ll shift your perspective a little. I know mine needs some adjusting.

Song of the Week #15

Taking God at His word

Two things I’ve been doing lately that have ratcheted up my faith level and simultaneously quieted worries: 1. taking God at His word; 2. embracing mystery. I kind of hit on #1 in my previous blog, but I wanted to flesh that out a little more (I’ll talk more about #2 in my next blog).

Taking God at His word means that you believe Him when He speaks to you. And then, you don’t stop believing it. You walk it out. What I used as an example in my last blog was the promise of provision. Since God tells you in the Bible that He will provide for you, you can be assured that He will, indeed, provide for you. It’s that simple. Though things might seem to be bad, or it may appear that your world is crumbling around you, God is in control and will make sure you will be ok if you claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

This premise applies to everything you read in the Bible, not just verses about provision. Among the numerous things God promises believers in His Word, this is just a short list: that you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus (1st Peter 1:18-19); that you can do all things through Christ (Phillipians 4:13); that sin has no power over you (Romans 6:14); that you will bear children (Psalm 128:3-4); that the devil will flee from you (James 4:7); that you should be in good health and prosper (3rd John 2); that you have peace (Phillipians 4:6-7); that you have a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2nd Timothy 1:7); that all things work together for your good (Romans 8:28). You can find Scriptures that address nearly anything you can think of…go look it up, and start believing it as the promise it is.

Also, while reading the Bible is probably the most frequent way God speaks to us, He uses all sorts of other avenues as well—most common in my life are dreams, prophetic words, and God speaking through other people. When God speaks to you this way, believe it! The Lord is not restricted to only talking to you through the Bible! However, DO USE CAUTION when choosing who you let speak into your life, and who you trust to guide you in these more mysterious waters. Be sure your mentors and teachers are solid and have a Biblical basis for their lives and teaching.

Just taking God at His word has made a huge difference in the way I look at, and think about things. When I make the choice to believe Him, then I don’t have to worry anymore; I know it’s going to happen. When I choose to have faith that what He has told me is true, doubt starts to fade. In a nutshell, faith increases and worry decreases. I end up being happier, more carefree, and even more driven to live out what the Lord has for me.

When God speaks, just listen and believe. It’s that simple.

Guest Blogger: Brennen Gaddis

Hey guys. I thought I would post a blog today of a good friend of mine, Brennen Gaddis. She updates stuff nearly everyday over on her blog if ya wanna check it out: brennengaddis.blogspot.com

Tub of ice cream vs. cute dainty bowl.

I have a Brennen story for you. The other night I was eating salsa in these cute little cups. I just grabbed it because it was the first thing I saw that would hold my salsa. I took it into the living room and mom said, "Oh, I just love those little cups! That makes me want ice cream!" So after I finished gorging myself on chips and salsa I get up to take it to the kitchen and mom asks me to get her some ice cream.

She is expecting her ice cream in one of these:

And I bring her this with a spoon in it.

Mom, of course, was disappointed in her daughter. Mom was expecting a beautiful ice cream creation with whip cream on top and a spoon placed perfectly in it. And I gave her a tub of ice cream and a spoon. Which, to me, was way better because with the little cups you get like 3 bites max. Which is a joke. And with the tub, you ain't gotta stop.

The thing about it is- we are like this with the Lord sometimes. We ask for something, and we expect it to come so pretty, neat, and without any work. And then He gives us what we want (in abundance) and we don't like it. We get up and go do it ourselves. I'm not saying that my mother was not appreciative, she laughed when I brought her the ice cream. (She should of expected it, it's me!) And, there is nothing wrong with expecting things to be great. I believe that God does want to give us things with a cherry on top. But there are other things that He knows what is best for us. And he knows how much more we will appreciate it, take care of it and love it- if we do some of the work, waiting, and preparing. Ya know? It all links back to my post last night.

God wants us to take responsibility for the things He gives us. Same thing I said in this post- on how we have to be faithful with the little things in order to be faithful with the big things. Same concept. It all goes hand in hand. We've got to get serious about nurturing the things that God has given us. Our gifts, our family, our spouses, our children, our co-workers, our talents and our abilities. God has placed these people and things in our lives for a reason. And you are where you are "for such a time as this". God has been preparing you to be exactly where you are... and He's preparing you now [where you currently are] for where you are going. Cool huh?

Lord, I just say right now- that I will take whatever you give me. If it's pretty with a cherry on top or if it's just a tub of whatever you decide to give me. I receieve it! No matter how much work it will take. I want what you want me to have. Thank you Jesus! Amen.

Song of the Week #14