I’m a gonna be a gettin marriaged…

For those of you who don’t already know, I am now engaged. As of last night on the beach just outside of Long Beach, CA., I am gonna be getting married to Ms. Kathryn Spink. She actually said yes to putting up with me for the rest of our lives!! She truly is amazing and I am a very blessed man indeed. Thanks to the Jesus!! I’ll be writing the details in a few days on another post but right now I’m gonna eat some breakfast. Whoooooraaaaa!!

Ahh, off to Cali…

Well, it’s time for a break. Tomorrow I’m off to California with my beautiful girlfriend to raise support, see her wonderful family, soak up some sun, and get a little r&r. I have never been more ready for a break than I am right now. I love working hard, praying hard and playing hard but this week in Cali is gonna be so good, just remembering the Lord and His faithfulness and getting a grid for what’s next in this ever changing season called life. I do believe a little hiking is in order, viewing God’s creation from the peaks of the San Bernadino mountains is one thing I can hardly wait to do. And of course, there will be some time at the beach, eyes closed listening to the surf of the most beautiful ocean, thinking about the wonders of His majesty. I love being at IHOP but I need some time outdoors, looking at the masterpiece of creation with a song of praise in my heart.

Needless to say, I probably won’t post a whole lot while I’m out there, unless of course I get some sweet revelation on why the rivers in the mountains are the most peaceful thing ever, which I might. I will be back in one week, hopefully rested, refreshed, and ready to go hard yet again for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Blessings to you all and don’t forget to breathe in His goodness today, amen!! Peace, I’m outta here!

Post Script: I’ve updated my Maxims page and the Bible Commentary page, check em out yo!

Are you in the Bible?

Thought for the day: Are you mentioned anywhere in the Bible? What I mean by that is this; Esther probably never thought she would have her own book. David, a little shepherd boy from the backwoods, proabaly never thought He’d be a king or the bloodline of THE KING. Jeremiah, for instance, was an awkward teenager, just like thousands of others until the Lord put His words into Jeremiah’s mouth. Or Paul, I doubt that he knew he was gonna be encountered by YAHWEH whilst on a road trip and given the mandate to preach to the heathen.

Think about this today; what does God want from us and what is in His heart to do in this generation? Who knows, you might be the next person God wants to use for His glory to change the understanding and expression of Christianity. The question is, do we have the faith and devotion to agree with the fact that God uses His friends for His purposes?

Water from the rock of my heart…

I lean into this; You are my portion and my inheritance forever. I have nothing apart from You and I trust in Your faithfulness. If all else fails I am assured in this, You are the strength of my heart and my soul throughout every season of this life. I commit myself into your hands and into Your Spirit. Let the prayer in my heart and the song from my mouth be as incense before you O Lord. Never, ever, have I known love as it is in You. Let Your Spirit teach me the great depths and lengths at which You are willing to bow in order that I might be great before You in love. Tears pour from my heart as I see the humility and gentleness by which You have given me life eternal and caused waters of life to spring forth from the rock of my heart. Tender, only make me to be, tender, more in tune to You. Amen.

Just a quick one today…

“If your vision for life is bigger than the next person you meet, it’s too big!”

An old buddy of mine use to tell me this all the time and I’m really beginning to wonder if it’s true or not. What do you think?

The Gospel of the Kingdom…

The word gospel is a noun and a verb, a thing and an action. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him for a sign of His coming and of the end of the age, one of His many responses was, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14). One of the signs of the end is us preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

I had always heard it said that the gospel must be preached in all the nations before the Lord’s return but that is only half of what He said. In other words, it’s not just the good news of salvation, the gospel, that would preceed His second coming, rather it is the gospel of the kingdom. Well, the question then is this; what’s the difference between the gospel of salvation and the gospel of the kingdom? Though they are inextricably linked they are, paradoxically, very different. The hinge on the gospel of salvation is mainly repentance, forgiveness, and redemption. The hinge on the gospel of the kingdom is demonstration of power through signs and wonders, restoration, and expressions of another age and another kingdom. The gospel of salvation is an inward, spiritual reality that moves into the outward exression of the gospel of the kingdom and its demonstrations and visible proofs like healing, prophecy, revival and raising the dead. The gospel of salvation is the key into the door of the gospel of the kingdom. There must be both aspects.

If this is true then we surely must receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our inheritance of the kingdom we aim to preach (Eph. 1:13). This is what the prophet Joel saw and prophesied (Joel 2:28-32) as the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh. To preach the gospel of the kingdom we need the outpouring of the Spirit as a release of demonstrating the power of the kingdom we belong to (Acts 1:8). Truly the Spirit must be poured out on all flesh (Acts 2:17-21, Joel 2) if we are to preach the kingdom gospel and if we are to do greater works than Jesus did, which was a promise to us from His own lips (John 14:12).

The one thing Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them was how to pray (Luke 11:1) and the one thing He commanded His disciples to do before His ascension was to wait in Jerusalem before they undertook the work of the kingdom (Luke 24:49). The gift that was to enable and activate the gospel of the kingdom was the gift and promise of the Father in sending the Holy Spirit. The progression of kingdom preaching exists in the promise of it (John 14:12, Acts 2), the command to do it (Luke 24:49), and the release of it (The book of Acts).

In our day and in our time we need laborers to lay hold of heaven and bring it to the earth, we need people of prayer. In order for the kingdom to come to the earth we need those who will preach the kingdom and demonstrate it like Moses and Aaron did in the Exodus when they were sent to free the people of Israel from the kingdom of Egypt. We need laborers who wait in the place of prayer until they are endued with power by the Holy Spirit to preach the kingdom with demonstrations of the power of the kingdom in which Jesus is the ruler and head of. In my opinion, we do not need more missionaries. We need laborers. There are more missionaries doing work in the field (which is needed) than there are intercessors laboring for change in those fields. There must be both working together or else the earth will never be prepared for what Jesus wants to do on the earth through us.

I realize that I need to develop this a wink more, in the meantime let me know what you think.

Hmm, that smells…Part II, The Lingering…

Ok, so those of you who have read the first part will be glad to know the answer to, “what smells like rotten tuna, sour milk, and melting rubber that could be in my room?” After a few funny guesses I am happy to anounce the answer. It was………………………………………..my ceiling fan. That’s right, the motor in my ceiling fan burned up and with the motor melting I think it even singed some of the dust that was in it causing it to have a very distinct and disgusting smell. And with the blades still trying to turn it soon spread the smell all over my room and into my clothes and such. Fear not, no one was injured except for maybe a few of my nostril hairs. I just hope I never have to smell or experience that again!! Thanks for playing Hmm, that smells. Until next time, enjoy your ceiling fans whilst you have them!

Hmm, that smells…

So, yesterday morning I woke up to a very strong smell, a smell I’ve never, ever smelled before. If I were to pick three things it smelled like I would have to say there was a tinge of rotten tunafish, a dab of sour milk, and the bulk of melting rubber. Seriously, at 7:33 a.m. yesterday morn. this is what I woke up to. Well, if you’re wondering yet just what this smell was coming from I am about to tell you. But first I want to say that I almost gagged from the stench of it. And now, my clothes, my blankets, and all my stuff in my room have a similar smell to them. Have any idea what it is? Maybe I won’t tell you just yet, maybe I’ll make you guess………What smells like rotten tuna, sour milk, and melting rubber that could be in MY room? Let me know what you think it is. This is a tricky one.

2 hints – it wasn’t coming from me, and it wasn’t a practical joke, it was………………………….

Being a set watchman, the call to rememberence!

Those of us who have agreed with the call and vocation of being an intercessory missionary (watchmen) must realize that we are called to two primary functions. This twofold calling is most easily pictured by two outward realities flowing from an inward life of wisdom and understanding by the means of watching and of praying. Within the context of perpetual watchfulness and prayer it is essential for us to understand the implications of these two realities.

One of these implications is that of remembering. Watchmen have a mandate to remember the Lord, His promise of things future and His faithfulness in times past. His promise of things future is the aspect of our reality in prayer by prophetic intercession, the calling to proclaim and to contend for that which He has promised. The other implication is that of remembering His faithfulness to all generations. We cannot truly contend for the breakthrough of His promises if we do not remember His faithfulness in times past. It is imperitive for us, as we look into and await the end of the age and His longed for return, to remember His perfect leadership, His perfect track record, and the many ways He has romanced us up to the present. The call to being a watchman is to remember Him and to proclaim Him. This is really all about Jesus and His coming Kingdom. If we aren’t confident in His love, i.e. His leadership and faithfulness, then we very well could be shaken in that day. We must cultivate an ability to remember Him, in all the various seasons of life and with that reality we must also cultivate a prophetic spirit with which we call forth His nature and promise to the earth.

Psalm 77:11-15 gives us a clear understanding in this reality. It says, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.” Amen.