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