I took my brother in law, Steve, to attend a men's retreat out in Hana this weekend. That's a 37 mile journey with 617 switchbacks that takes roughly two hours to drive. Do the math. You go there and back on the same day you have changed direction (north, south, north, south) on tight hairpin turns 1234 times. Hana is like Hawaii before it became a state with couple thousand people living in a seaside village who don't get alot of tourists or traffic. The majority of the town is employed by the local hotel (very nice turn of the century hotel) or else they fish and sell fruit. There's not much else to do there except just be in paradise which is not bad in itself. The retreat was very good with churches from all over the state in attendance. Very cool campsites with thatched roof hale's (huts) and outdoor showers in the midst of palm trees. The meeting was held at the very edge of lava cliffs that dropped about 20 feet down straight to the clear blue ocean. The waves pounding them would send spray up into the air making for a backdrop that was unlike anything I've ever seen for a worship service. The worship leader got up and sang "Every Move I Make" which has a line in it about "waves of mercy, waves of grace..." I just laughed at the sight of these waves pounding the rocks and splashing into the air right behind him as he sang. It reminded me of a dream I had years ago of worshipping God at the edge of the ocean and singing that very song. Apparently God hadn't forgotten that dream. Here's good news for you today. God remembers the dreams that you have forgotten. When I was little, I dreamt of being a diver. My folks bought me an action figure set with a little guy who had a scuba tank and a boat. I would set the boat on the edge of a chair and everything under the seat of the chair was the mysterious underwater world. If ever there was a diver on tv or a Mutual of Omaha special with Jacques Cousteau I was rivited. It was my superbowl. For a long time I completely forgot about that. When I started this job with the dive boat, I was thrilled. But never expected what would happen to me the first time I hooked up the regulator, strapped on the bc vest, adjusted my gear, and jumped off the boat into the ocean. I took a breath underwater and suddenly I was 10 years old all over again. I mean the same exact feeling, emotion, dream, everything. It was quite a moment. While remembering is the key to saying encouraged and strengthened, He will begin to fulfill your dreams that you have left behind, forgotten in yesterday and in doing so will bring you to a place of supernatural power for today and expectation for tomorrow. I wonder what other dreams I've forgotten that God remembers? It's like being a kid on Christmas morning.

I love a good story. Growing up in the midst of master storytellers, I could sit and listen to the accounts of fishing trips gone wrong, hunting trips gone right, and all manner of tales for hours and never get bored. Jesus encouraged us to share the family stories. Deut 6 gives some stern instruction from God for us to make sure that we pass down the record of what God has done and is doing from generation to generation. In doing this it gives opportunity for the next generation to make our ceiling their floor and expand upon the inheritance they are given by us. For this reason I share testimonies. It's not about entertainment. For one thing, being aware of the need to guard the integrity of what God is doing here has taken me to a place where I care less about exciting people and more about the presence of the living God. Deut 29:29 tells us that what has been revealed belongs to us forever. Revelation is never to be lost or forgotten or else we also lose the fire of expectation and awareness of the God who invades the impossible. It's that lack of ongoing experience that has been in the past a point of stumbling for me. I always dreamed of what the Christian life should look like and what may happen if I were to be completely dependent on the Holy Spirit. Signs, wonders, and miracles would be the norm as they were in the life of Jesus, yet for many years most of what I demonstrated was not power but theology. I hoped for things to take place that would remind us all that the living God still acknowledged our offering of worship and that the Spirit empowered what I had to say. No doubt there were individuals who were in a place of revival, but corporately I wasn't prepared to lead one. My dreams of how it was supposed to be were too fantastic to ever seem as though they could be realized. Yet now, things are taking place that go beyond what I have imagined.

It's easy to fall into the snare of hyping a move of God to provoke God and man to action. This is why baseless hype is so dangerous. It misrepresents what God is actually doing. This is why we need to repent and take the gospel of the kingdom outside of the church. We are kept honest by what we take out there. We are kept honest in what we claim to believe by meshing together the foundation of teaching with the practice of doing. If we are not doing what we're teaching, perhaps we ought not teach it. Jesus hung His entire ministry and mission of whether or not He did the works of the Father. He says in John 10:37 "If I do not do the works of my Father, don't believe Me." It's time for the church to declare, "If we don't do the works of our Father, don't believe us." It is this declaration that will be the dividing point that separates out the believers from the faithless apostate church of the last days for the Kingdom of God is not is word but in power.

To create a culture that sustains a movement of revival, it's actually more simple and wonderful and obvious than I would have ever thought. (Matt 10) Preach one message, repent (change the way you think) for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (within reach). Then demonstrate the reality of it. Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, freely you have received, freely give. The concept is simple. If we teach what Jesus said to teach, and do what Jesus said to do, we'll see what He said we would see. His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

At last night's service we had a number of great testimonies as God moved. Many words and prophecies were given which was fantastic. It was like a well of water that overflowed in the middle of the sanctuary. A couple brought their son Matthew (around 6 years old) who had torn some cartilage in his knee that day. Earlier they had to carry him into the doctor as he couldn't walk. He came to church, able to walk but with great difficulty and quite a limp. The children gathered around him and prayed and then he was brought into the sanctuary where some people gathered around and laid hands on him and began to pray. Not only did the swelling decrease, but he began to walk straight and upright. He literally ran outside and headed off to play with his friends. People next door working with the children said he came in leaping and jumping. It was a cool night. One lady who came to visit from the other side of the island, standing at her seat near the back, just got overcome by the presence of God and hit the floor right where she was. A young man, Jason, who is a new believer testified of the Holy Spirit giving him a word for a complete stranger that he was working with that day. He walked over and told him what God wanted him to say and the man listened and thanked Jason. For the rest of the day that man treated Jason with such respect and gratitude. Another man, Brad, testified of praying with a co-worker as they were working on the side of the highway. The man began to weep as he was overcome by the presence of God. Various other manifestations occurred as well. It was just an all around good evening of divine encounters. On Sunday we gave a call for salvation and many newcomers answered and were brought into Jesus one step program, out of darkness into His marvelous light. At the end of the service the altar was opened and many people came to just step into the river so to speak. One lady came forward and as she got close to the front she fell facedown and was still for over two hours in an encounter with the living God. Another lady testified to a powerful encounter with Jesus Christ as He began to reveal things to her regarding His desire to see the island of Maui awakened to welcome the outpouring of His Spirit. A woman on our worship team testified to witnessing to her boss who is an atheist. A young man who was a former drug user testified that he had some extra money on him and the first thing he thought to do was to buy drugs but then the Holy Spirit rose up in him and he thought, "That would be so disrespectful to my Lord, and after all He has done for me." He remains clean and sober and has been delivered from addiction. A Hospice company called us this week asking if we would go minister to the terminally ill cancer patients who are homebound. They had heard that we believe that God still does miracles. What an opportunity!

I write these things simply to remember and review them for myself. It's become a vital part of my life to celebrate what God has done and is doing. If you will celebrate what God is doing, you will find that you become the solution for what He hasn't done yet. When we celebrate the testimony of the Lord, more happens, the Gospel spreads, and the Kingdom advances. If you're searching for God's will for your life, the list is short. It's found in Matthew 10. As you go, preach, saying, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Well, Bill, should I be a missionary or should I start a career in the marketplace? Pick one, either is fine, but as you go, preach, saying, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. That's nice, Bill, but should I live in a house or apartment and should I get married or stay single and..... Whatever, just pick a good one and as you go, preach, saying, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Yeah, I know, (people say) but it's God who does the healing. It's up to Him if He chooses to use me to do it. Well, sure. That's good theology I guess. He just didn't exactly say that in Matthew 10. Look at it. He didn't take the time to explain the theology behind it. He told us to do it as if we could. Whatever you do, wherever you work, however you serve in your church, make sure that as you go, preach, saying, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

An outpouring of the Spirit of God continues in Maui. James, our sound-man is a chef at a local restaurant. He had a young man working for him who had suffered a heart attack at a young age. This man came to James last week saying he had chest pains and, knowing James was a Christian, asked him to pray for him. James laid hands on him and prayed and the pain (and fear) left. The man told James that he was feeling much better and gives the glory to God. Sunday morning, Chasity, a young lady in the church, came to the front row and began a beautiful dance during worship and as she did the Holy Spirit fell on her and she began to speak in tongues for the first time. She shared afterward that she realized that she had to go after it and when she did, God responded. How much are you missing because you're waiting for God to come to you? The God you know in the secret place is the God you'll represent in the public place.

The birthplace of bad theology is when leaders are pressured to give an explanation of a problem that God's not addressing. It's when people are facing disappointment and we provide an explanation to help people feel better about the moment instead of leaving them in discontentment so that they will actually wage a violent war against all that restrains them to find Kingdom solutions that do not dissipate. Let this be the cry of your heart. I don't want to compose answers that make me comfortable. I want to find things that take me into my destiny. I'm not going to lower the standard of Scripture to make me feel good about my present situation. I don't want to feel good about my present situation. To lower the standard of scripture to my level of experience is idolatry. It's to worship the pages of a book above the Spirit that breathes on the pages of the book.

Israel always seemed to end up in idolatry even though they SAW the manifest presence of God. How did this happen? The Bible is clear. They forgot the works of the Lord. When they forgot what they saw they lost the desire to see it again and the result was religious form without power which is idolatry. You cannot afford to lose awareness of the God who invades the impossible. You cannot afford to make decisions that represent the body of Christ based on human talent and resource alone. Much of what is called stewardship in the church today is simply fear disguised as wisdom. You will not do more with yourself than you will do with what you have. We had a young lady on outreach with us who I gave an assignment to. I handed her some money and told her to give it away. That was her only assignment that day. She looked for someone to give it to and couldn't find the right person. It couldn't just be anyone, she thought. It has to be someone who really needs it. Yet she couldn't ever seem to find the right one. Many people say, if only God would bless me with a large sum of money, I could do so much good with it. No you wouldn't. If you won't do good with the little you have, what makes you think you'll suddenly do good with much? Wasting resources is easy. Giving it away is difficult. Think about your life. Wasting time is easy. Giving time away is hard. But which holds the reward? Some of you reading this post have heard God calling to you a life of radical obedience that challenges your perceived notion of comfort. Your destiny is just on the other side of convenience. In other words, you'll have to step beyond convenience to find it.

Prophecy is a really huge deal to God yet there are alot of religious people who take issue against it. It is often said that prophecy is not for today, yet there is a danger in going there. Jesus said in John 5, you search the scriptures because you think in them is eternal life, but these are they which testify of Me and you're unwilling to come to Me. The scriptures are the testimony of Jesus and any revelation you get from the Scriptures that doesn't take you into an encounter with Jesus Christ only serves to make you more religious. Furthermore in Revelation 19:10 we're told that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. So to say that prophecy isn't for today is not only to deny the testimony of Jesus but also to deny the vailidity of the word of God. Some will differentiate between the prophectic in the scriptures and the prophetic declaration of believers today calling the first infallable and the latter, "personal prophecy" and say that it's not of God. The scriptures are indeed infallable but can the Holy Spirit give me a word for you and you for another? Jesus said in John 16, I have so much I would like to say to you now but you can't bear it. So then there's more He wants to share with you. He then said, I'll send the Holy Spirit who will guide you into all truth. The believers were and are expected to be filled with the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God is not silent. Now He chooses to speak through His people to teach, train, exhort, comfort, encourage, reveal His plan and purpose, and to release the Kingdom in power. We release the kingdom through declaration.

Here's an example and, by the way, a year ago I would never have done this. I sit down by a man who is waiting for his ride. I ask if I can pray with him. He says no, he's not interested. We do begin to talk though and as we do I feel intense compassion for the depth of hurt in him and the numbers 10 and 14 come to mind, forcefully. So much so that it's distracting. I clear my throat and go with it. "There is a deep pain in you from 10 or maybe 14 years ago. Something happened that left your life scarred and God wants to heal your heart." He begins to weep and says, "My 14 year old son was killed 10 years ago in a hit and run accident. (long pause) I've been angry at God ever since." We cry together and when I ask if I can pray with him again he says yes. The manifest presence of the Spirit of God meets us there and he begins a new day and season in his life as a believer in Jesus Christ.

This week on outreach we're going to ask the Holy Spirit to do that for people we don't even know. God loves these His people and wants to reveal Himself to them. We're going to give God that opportunity. You give God room for His will to be done. I'll post testimonies later on this week and let you know how it went.

The postmodern church movement. "It's organic, earthy, neohippie, antichurch." Just what some cool friends of mine may be looking for. So they go today to a local postmodern gathering to soak in the vibe. Report comes back. The music put the mental in experimental, the paintings were interesting. The speaker announces that the meeting is going to be a (quote) crapshoot. I check my cool postmodern language guide to see if that's the new way to say we're being led by the Spirit. I get the impression it means unprepared. Some guy lays down in the aisle and falls asleep. Nice touch. Then this guy in the aisle rips a massive gastrointestinal expulsion. It reeks. We'd leave but he's blocking our way. Perhaps the people behind me think my gag reflex is a new form of worship. For your next communion service, I suggest some beano tablets. The rest of the gathering gives the impression that in order to belong here one must be comfortably lost. A passive anarchist. Anti leadership, anti order, and strangely, anti power. Perhaps they were hoping to access the power of God by denying the dreaded form of Godliness but sadly, it appears they're lacking both. When freedom in worship becomes a disguise for lack of direction, something's gone awry. No prayer for healing, no message from the Word of God, no invitation to follow Jesus Christ. All these are old fashioned and have been replaced with silent contemplation, readings from various books, and encouragement to give Jesus a whirl at some point in your life, whenever, no worries. Truth be told, this is just the closet Baptists taking the seeker movement to a whole new level of lukewarm. It's the evangelistic tool that sneaks up on the seeker. You may get saved, you may not. Chances are, you won't know either way. The beauty of the postmodern movement and it's manuals (Velvet Elvis and Blue Like Jazz) is that they've can describe in elaborate detail what they are not! They shun uniformity and embrace creative expression. What they can't seem to determine is who they are. (Are we Christians or are we followers of Christ?) If you're interested in starting a Postmodern church, there are some things you've got to know. Back up your quotes from the apostle Paul with a quote from Bono. Media is cool. Especially art house flicks. Profanity is acceptable as long as it's intelligent. Intellect is exalted. Dim lights, deep thoughts, acoustic guitars, and coffee. Coffee is coooool. In the postmodern movement you get to be both in the world and of the world. Not a bad deal. In the early days when the X files was cancelled, many postmoderns backslid into, well, virtually the same place they were last week.

Sigh... Perhaps this postmodern movement will eventually add the term "vegan" to it's arsenal of cool descriptive terms. That is, lacking meat.

Nevertheless, I have a word for the postmodern Pastors. In these days I believe that God is releasing a spirit of revelation over the church where we repent over our areas of great difference because we see Him as He is, speak His Word as He declares it, and are literally taught by the Spirit. This is Kingdom reality and it seems that postmodernism is poised for this kind of radical Spirit led existence, igniting a revival in America and bringing the reality of Jesus' power and glory into the lives of people. That is "...on earth as it is in Heaven." If that's the anointing you're aiming for, keep pressing in and expect opposition as you experience breakthrough. Chris Tomlin spoke well when he said that if the presence of God doesn't go with us, I don't want to go. At the same time if the presence of God is with us, the varied impressions of people don't matter a whole lot, for we're in the will of God even as their nails pierce our flesh.

NOTE: To give some background, this "story" actually happened at a popular postmodern church (with a pretty name) in a popular city (the live music capital of the world). Some friends went on a Sunday and called about it afterwards. I wrote this post in response to that event about a month ago, but waited to post it until I had a chance to email the Pastor (or narrator, or moderator, or whatever) and see what he had to say. It was very interesting and productive. I found out that he is hungry for something that he hasn't seen yet. That's what drives this movement to break out of tradition. The problem is that every new idea threatens to eventually become the tradition of man that makes the Word of God of no effect. The above post has the best lines from the email correspondence we had and since he reads my blog (yes, the Pastor of this church read this blog before I posted it and liked it) I wanted to make sure that I gave a cushion of time to it to test my heart on the matter. That is, am I merely writing in frustration to an event or is this something that continues to burn in me. The latter is true so, voila, it gets posted.

Postscript: I got some email asking what problem I had with Don Miller's best selling book, Blue Like Jazz. It's Don's gospel that's the issue. Don says, well here, Don go ahead and tell everyone how you view the Gospel of the Kingdom. “[The central message of Christ] is that man sinned against God and God gave the world over to man, and that if somebody wanted to be rescued out of that, if somebody for instance finds it all very empty, that Christ will rescue them if they want…” (page 124)
So Don has reduced the everlasting advancing Kingdom of God to, well, a divine timeshare for the disgruntled. Uh, I don't know, Don. Throw in a toaster and I may think about signing up.

Outreach yesterday and this morning was exciting. Yesterday we took a dozen young people out to do good and heal the oppressed and that's exactly what they did. I have never known a more tender yet bold group of students. I will truly miss them when they go to Borneo for missions next month. We were able to pray for many to be healed of various sicknesses from staff infection to arthritis in the knees to a man who said he needed joy. Everyone who allowed us to pray for them was touched by God in some way. One lady we met in front of the Buddhist temple had turned from Catholicism to Buddhism two months earlier because her son had died in a car accident and she was carrying offense toward God. We were able to minister to her and felt like God gave us a divine appointment to speak His heart to her and let her know that He is good and that He did not take her son. It was quite a moment. This morning the Pastors of upcountry met for breakfast where we spend our time recounting the testimony of what God is doing. By the end of that time you're ready to go take back some ground and punch holes in the darkness. So we took a couple of guitars and Pastor Dale Kreps from the Nazarene Church, Pastor Shannon Carrier, and I sat out in front of the library across from the Buddhist center in Makawao and sang worship songs to God as loud as our voices would allow. We had some great response from people driving by. We had the opportunity afterward to pray with a young man named Ben. It was just a great morning of giving God room to do His will. (Let that theology soak in for awhile.)

When Jesus said for us to pray, Thy will be done, He was talking about Himself. The instruction is an invitation to partner with Him to see that what is on His heart becomes what we are all about. Why would Jesus encourage us to pray for what He has already intended to do? Why would He ask us to join in an act of participation if our involvment meant nothing? It is His desire that you be the vessel through which His Spirit is poured out on all flesh. I cannot give Him a place to move in you but I can certainly give Him a place to move in me. If I give Him my flesh as an outlet, presenting my body as a living sacrifice, I then offer another person the opportunity to make room for Him as well. The promise in scripture is that the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord like the waters cover the sea. In keeping with the H20 analogy, surfs up!

The past week has been an incredible week of revival and miracles. I want to record these events so that I can review the works of God and also compose some thoughts that will likely contain questions that one day may have an answer.

On Sunday, our worship leader, Byron Purdy, was competing in the upcountry rodeo as his family has done for 56 years. In one event, something went wrong and a steer fell on his chest and then stomped on him a few times. By the time the ambulance got him loaded up to go to the hospital he was passed out from pain. The fear was of internal injuries along with or as a result of broken ribs. His eyes were rolling back in his head and from his head to his waist he was in bad condition. When they arrived at the hospital Byron's wife, Uilani, called and we prayed over the phone for him. Suddenly, as we were praying, he came to and the pain began to leave. They did the scans and tests to determine the extent of the injuries and gave him a clean bill of health. No internal injuries, no broken ribs, no reason to stay at the hospital. They had cut his clothes off of him so his wife went and got him a change of clothes from the car. He dressed and walked out of the hospital less than two hrs after he arrived. I helped him move heavy furniture this week.

Last week Wed there was a lovely Catholic lady who had diabetes for 30 years who requested prayer. Her left leg was swollen terribly and had been for quite some time and she was in great pain. As we prayed,,,,nothing happened. At least not that we could see. When she arrived home, the swelling was completely gone as was the pain. She went back to the doctor and received a report that she no longer has diabetes. Our study on Wed was on the last part of Mark 4 and the message was on the release of the Kingdom of heaven within you over the storms around you. Various prophecies and words went out and it was a good time.

At the close of the meeting, I felt that we needed to go down the hill and attend the revival taking place at the Pukalani Church of the Nazarene. Puka Naz (as it's called locally) is pastored by a dear friend and brother of mine, Pastor Dale. He had let us know that they were going to be setting up a tent and having an old fashioned revival meeting. What we didn't know was that the night before, the speaker had preached on the Holy Spirit and what resulted was a regular Acts 2 outpouring. A dozen of us from Grace showed up there after our meeting on Wed night and as we took our seats in the crowded tent, the speaker began his message. It was on Mark 4 and the message was on the release of the Kingdom of heaven within you over the storms around you. I was stunned. The Bible is a big book. This was not coincidence. Pastor Dale noticed that I had arrived and invited me to come and share. In 60 seconds I shared that we had just studied the same thing at our meeting a half hour earlier. The associate Pastor of Waipuna Chapel, a church two miles away from us, came up the aisle and said, "God wants to heal somebody right here." The altars opened and many people were healed and came to Jesus Christ. The revival was extended to Friday night.

In an unusual occurrence, an elder from a well established denominational church came forward on Thursday night responding to a call for repentance. He was tensed up and wound tight. This Christian man said he needed to be free from something dark inside of him. Pastor Dale (Nazarene) began to intercede for him. I can't even describe what happened after this but he was delivered from whatever demon was keeping him bound. Last night (Friday) he stood up and testified that he hadn't believed that a Christian could have anything like that but because of this belief he wasn't careful of what he gave a place in his life. He testified that he had opened his life up to anger by dwelling on people who had hurt him. He had also opened the door to a spirit of lust by dwelling on images and thoughts that he believed, as a Christian, would have no affect on him. He then testified that he now realized that even as a believer in Jesus Christ that it was ignorant to believe that he could give a place to darkness in his life and remain unaffected.

Whatever you have come to believe about healing, demons, deliverance, miracles, and signs that make you wonder, here's what I have come to. These are all like exit signs that point to the door of a greater reality like a map that leads you to the treasure of the presence of the Spirit of God. The miracles are meant to renew your mind to come to that place of supernatural faith in the God for whom nothing is impossible. The wonderful works of His hands are meant to lead to the richness of knowing the ways of His heart. While we have experienced miracles and healings in others this week, however, Traci and I have both been physically less than 100%. We have prayed and have not experienced the breakthrough in our bodies but internally we're both revived and soaking in the presence of God and the wonder of His love. The post below has taken on a deep meaning and challenge for me, to focus on what He is doing and not what He isn't doing. I can't let what I don't understand create means where I walk in offense toward God for what He hasn't done. Maybe you're in the same boat. Here's our challenge once again. If you focus on what He is doing, then you may become the answer for what He hasn't done yet. His power is still real and His grace is still sufficient.

Heaven is filled with everlasting love and peace and complete regard for the faithfulness, goodness, and power of God. Earth is filled with doubt, unbelief, offense, fear, and bitterness. You will always reflect the world that you're most aware of. Both worlds are real, but one is superior. The things we can see are temporal, but the things we can't see are eternal. Faith is anchored in what you can't see so then what you can't see is superior to what you can see for faith pleases God. I don't have faith because I understand. I understand because I have faith. (Heb 11) "Through faith we understand..." So then I can live life by discipline (understanding) or I can live life by passion (faith). If you live by discipline you'll be admired. If you live by passion you'll be contageous. Both are good but one is better. The difficult part of living the Christian life by discipline is that you have a hard time reproducing because to reproduce you must create others who are as disciplined as yourself for the right reasons. I would rather burn with passion. A life of passion is like a burning fire. When you tend to a fire you're only interested in protecting it and feeding it. When you live the Christian life with passion you only have time for that which fuels the fire. From the outside you may look disciplined but it's truly a reflection of the fire on the inside. All of this to say, I've been in a state of passion for God lately like at no time in my life. The way I stay passionate and encouraged inside is to focus on what God is doing, not what He isn't doing. The more outreach we do, the more contact I have with random strangers around me that results in advancing the Kingdom of God, the more I see the power of God demonstrated before my eyes, the more I burn. There's a fire that I can't ignore and in doing so I'm becoming more aware of and hungry for His world than I am for my own.

This picture was taken last week at Makena Beach. My little girl came and sat down and put her head on my shoulder. Traci knelt down to snap a picture and instincively Sara put her little "shaka" up in the air. This is the Hawaiian wave. It signifies friendship, peace, love, we're cool, all is well and good, and is also how we cut people off in traffic. A true multi-purpose hand gesture. In moments like these, sitting on the warm sand at the end of the day, I can't help but breathe in the presence of God. It doesn't just come in the good moments though. Last week I sat with a couple who moments earlier had given birth to their stillborn son. She was only five months along in her pregnancy. I was honored to officiate the service as the family wept with them. I had a vision in that moment of the two of them together in eternity with their son, and realized that I had just gained another motivation to live with passion for God for in eternity I will see them together and the deluge of joy that they will know, well earthly pleasures can't touch that. For all of my friends, both new and old, who have suffered loss, there is a deluge of joy in the kingdom to come that will erase all of the sorrow that you've ever known as if you had never known it. I can't wait to see that.

Bill and the Flying Turtles (Shot on Monday, June 18, 2007)

Did you know that the earth has been entrusted to you? (Psalm 115:16) Heaven is the Lords, but the earth He has entrusted to the children of men. The commission we have been given in this earth is to disciple nations. Does that seem impossible? In the story of the talents, the man who hid his talent in the earth says, "I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you haven't scattered seed, and I was afraid..." What he was saying is what many say in their heart to Jesus every day. "Look at all the impossible things you did. I can't do that. You want me to do that? I'm just a lowly servant. You're a hard act to follow. I'm afraid."
The truth is that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength and we're called to invade the impossible because (1 John 4:17) as He is so are we in this world. The way we live that out is to do good and heal the oppressed. This is what Jesus commanded us to do. John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, so also I send you. In the commission is the anointing to achieve. That means that as you read that, and understand, and begin to do it, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will empower you to do what was previously thought impossible. John 14:17 The Spirit is both with you and in you.

I met a man who lives this out. His name is Earl and when we met, knowing he was a minister yet pastored no church, I said, "What's your ministry?" He looked at me funny and said, "The same as yours. Do good and heal the oppressed." Then I saw it. He took a group of young people to the mall. They bought some coffee and began to wander around. He spotted a young person who was working at a kiosk and began to talk to her. She shared that she was concerned because she didn't know what she was going to do with her life after graduation. He asked if they could pray for her career. She said yes and a couple of the young people stood with her and began to pray. The presence of God came upon her and she began to weep. A man walked by and noticed and recognized Earl and, knowing that Earl prays for the sick, said, "I have a heart condition. Would you pray for me?" Earl brought a young person to pray with the man. A young mother walked by clearly more than 8 months pregnant yet carrying a child in her arms as well. Earl was prompted to give her some money so he walked over and said, "Maam, the Lord has asked me to give you some money." She was moved and thanked him. She was clearly oppressed and tired. Earl and one of the young people prayed with her and the Spirit of God touched her and she ended up giving her life to Jesus Christ. (In an interesting twist, Earl asked her to wait because He hadn't given her enough money so he went to find a cash machine. She was amazed because she needed something for her child that she didn't have the money for and what he gave her met the need.)

We are all changing through the process of time and experience and what we become is directly related to what is deposited into our life. For example, Jesus, the Son of God, did no miracle until He received the anointing from God. We know little about His life up to that point except that He never sinned and therefore was the perfect sacrifice. The DNA of Jesus came about by what He received, (John 1:32 the Holy Spirit of God), what He submitted to, (John 5:19 the words and actions of the Father) and what He did (Acts 10:38 He went about doing good and healing the oppressed). As you walk through your day, pray that God will speak to you and commit to do and say what He asks or prompts in your heart to do. Give away some money. Offer to pray for the sick. Tell people that God loves them. Ask people if they know Jesus Christ. This is the most frightening and exciting lifestyle you can imagine. Some tasks will be easier than others. All will be challenging and all will be rewarding. In all that you do today, keep this objective before you. Today I am going to go about doing good and healing the oppressed.

Consider the following. When I'm scuba diving, ignoring my senses could cost me my life. For example, as I go deeper, I have to pay close attention to the feelings I have in my ears, my head, my joints, my body. It's not possible to simply dive in the water and swim down a couple hundred feet without doing some physical preparation first. Equalizing your ears, adjusting your air, fitting your gear and mask so you can see. If I don't do these things, a deep dive will be uncomfortable for me. It's far more comfortable to hang out on the surface and float around yet the colors and sounds below are virtually invisible to you until you swim down. In the same way, pursuing the deeper things of God requires some attention to the physical. Training your ears to hear His voice, being filled with His Spirit (breath), and opening your eyes to see His manifest presence.

King David had more than 30 years where he came before the actual manifest presence of God that was upon the Ark of the Covenant. In that context he wrote in Psalm 63, "My flesh longs for you." Have you ever been so affected by the presence of God that your body itself ached and cried out for more? What was true for David is true for us as well. Just as my flesh longs for Salt Lick BBQ, good salsa, and a tall sweating glass of sweet tea, my physical body can ache for God. And if we can hunger for God physically, then we can be satisfied by God physically for there is no such thing as hunger without the potential for fulfillment. You don't have an appetite for things that are non-existent. Rather, God has put within our makeup the capacity to recognize Him and His activities with our physical bodies.

Ready to go a step further? Hebrews 5:14 says that a mark of maturity is having the sense trained to discern good and evil. Touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste can be trained to recognize the presence of God. For so long I tried hard to avoid giving any attention to what happened to me physically in a worship service. Working hard to avoid deception can be a deception in itself. In doing so, we often avoid God by denying our very senses that were created to praise and honor Him. Back then I would focus on only the intellectual (90%) and the emotional (10%). Yet God communicates with us in so many ways, through impressions of the heart, mental pictures, and physical sensations. When we ignore our bodies under the guise of denying the flesh we may also be ignoring the voice of God. The denial of the flesh is, for many, an excuse to succumb to the fear of man. That is that people don't dance in church and while they say that they're denying their flesh, in reality they're afraid of what people will think.

Here's an interesting point. I had a sinus headache last week and upon entering the water, my head felt like it would explode. The deeper I went the more uncomfortable I was. Eventually I had to call it a day. When your mind isn't right, the presence of God can physically be uncomfortable and even aggravating. Its amazing how many trips to the bathroom or the water fountain people take during a worship service. It's far more comfortable to hang out on the surface and float around. Don't do it. God has placed in you an appetite that His presence alone can satisfy. Clear your ears, fill your lungs with His Spirit, and open your eyes. Go deep.

Traci and I went for a walk on the beach one night as the sun went down and filmed the whole dramatic event. Some time ago I asked God for wonder and He has granted it. In so many ways.

Here's a rare article from one of my heroes in the Faith, Pastor Bill Johnson. It's titled, "Plundering Egypt".

My travels in ministry often take me to the center of Nevada. Nine hours in the car is a pain to most every part of my body. Reno is on the way, and is a nice halfway point. I now break this trip into two days travel, instead of one.
Reno is actually a great place to stay, if the local interests don't distract you. Because of the gambling, they are able to provide great prices at their hotels for lodging and meals, hoping we'll lose our shirt in the name of recreation. This Hilton has a wonderful fitness gym, with a fair amount of weights. By staying there, I can continue doing my workout before hitting the road.
When I called the Hilton to make reservations, I was pleased to discover they had a special deal; one night for $46, plus $15 in coins. Coin? No problem to me. Fifteen silver dollars spend as good as paper money, which means my room was really $31 - a very, very, good price.
When I came back through Reno I got my second coupon for coins and went to the appropriate place to exchange them both for cash. The woman behind the counter asked me what I wanted, "Quarters or silver dollars?" To walk out with $30 in quarters seemed somewhat uncomfortable, so I asked for dollars. To my surprise, their coins are not real currency. They are coins, minted for their machines only! I made the mistake of asking her where I could exchange them for real money. Apparently, in doing so, I hit a nerve. She lost her business-like social skills and informed me in a rather angry tone of voice that those coins were given to me so I could gamble. I smiled, thanked her for her help, and left with $30 in fake money.
Just think, $30 to use in their slot machines. Could this be Jehovah Jireh, God my Provider? Maybe there is a Jackpot of $1,000,000 just waiting for me to take that step of faith. "Oh God, I'll split it with You, fifty, fifty. No, no, I've reconsidered and am feeling real generous. You take 75%, and leave me with a measly ol' $250,000. That much money could really bless the Kingdom!" There is also the thought that this would be a great way to "plunder Egypt" - to take from an evil system and release it into the ministry of the Kingdom of God. And who could call it gambling? It's not even my money. Technically, it's not a gamble when I stand to lose nothing. Or, do I?
This past summers forest fires reveal the potential devastation of one careless act. A house that took thousands of man hours to build is destroyed in moments. The empires of wealthy people, that took decades to create, are gone in minutes. The thought of rebuilding is overwhelming. And there are the many items that can never be replaced.
How long does it take to build credibility and a good name? All the time you have. That is part of our life's work. With one careless act, that work can be destroyed. Is the prospect of winning $1,000,000 worth that possible loss? Not for me. Even worse than losing the above mentioned $30 in coins would be to win the million dollars. Why? Because I would have done something that would have been published far and wide - "Pastor wins a million in Reno" - again, lowering the standard of righteousness. I owe more than that to a generation that is desperately looking for examples to follow.
Am I saying that gambling will send someone to Hell? After all, it's a gamble just to drive on our freeways. No. But greed has sponsored many into a Christless eternity. Greed is at the heart of the world system and is the foundation of gambling. To accept that method of earnings goes against the whole counsel of scripture.
What about those who gamble with a modest amount of money, as recreation? I applaud anyone who has the self control to stop at a modest amount. There are so many who can't say no to the hope of wealth, and in turn put the welfare of their family at risk. But the real point is, it is not true recreation. It doesn't re-create anything we should want in our lives in the first place.
There is a better way. If you really want to prosper, do it the way that lasts and lasts. Take your lottery money, your one-armed bandit money, and your crap-table money (a moment of divine inspiration came upon the one who named that game), and place it into missions, or give it to the poor. Giving is never a gamble. It always brings a return. In addition, it plugs us into the order and benefits that exist in the Kingdom of God. And the result is true prosperity . . . real re-creation.
I have been invited to return to central Nevada in the spring. If I drive I will no doubt stay at the Reno Hilton. I will eat there, and work out in their gym before the 4 1/2 hour drive. But, exchange my name for 30 pieces of silver? No thanks. That's been done before.

I've got to do a blog here on depression. There are so many people I know that have this cloud of despair over their eyes that hinders their ability to see the goodness of God in their lives. Watching those close to you walk out such torment is a kind of torment in itself. Because we know that the answer lies in the power of the Holy Spirit, we may attempt to offer this simple remedy in advice that, while true, doesn't begin to address the depth of the issue. To say to a depressed person that all he or she has to do is lay hold of that would be like telling me that all I have to do to get healthier is to bench press 300 lbs ten times a day. The advice is true but physically I'm not in a place where I can accomplish that. People who are facing depression aren't in a place where they have the will to lay hold of the answer on their own.

The power of prayer is the power of agreement and many people are not in a place to come into agreement with the Word of God. Offense toward God is a cancer in the soul. I got a picture of the enemy's tactic here in that every word that is spoken that can bring life, becomes twisted where, in the mind of one in depression, it brings death. You may have come to a place where the enemy has brought you into agreement and through agreement the enemy is empowered in your thoughts. Lies that say you've failed, that you've missed it (the plan and purpose of God) that you can't face another day, that life is an enemy to you, that death is a friend, that others would be better off without you, that God has turned a blind eye toward your self destruction, that everything is just too hard. Satan will do to you the same thing he did to Adam and Eve. He'll talk and talk until you agree or rebuke him.

What happens when you fill yourself with the promises of God and refuse to believe the lies of the enemy? The enemy will exploit every channel he can to attempt to bring you to a place of discouragement, doubt, unbelief, fear, and torment. If he can't bring that directly to you he will find the one closest to you and pour it on to bring you into a place of fatigue, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If he can drain your capacity to focus on the word of the Lord, care for those in your charge, and doubt the goodness of God for you, then he has effectively incapacitated your ability to release the anointing within you that is meant to affect the world around you. He can't kill you so he will try to stop you from advancing. What's happened then? The enemy has found the soil of agreement and the fruit of this is confusion for others for when good people believe evil things, the product is darkness disguised as light.

If this is what you are experiencing, then I commit to stand with you in prayer that together we will maintain focus on the Word of the Lord, care for those in our charge, and never doubt the goodness of God. I have cut off two things from my life forever that have helped me stay insulated and effective. I will never blame God, and I will never allow guilt and shame to infect me. Those two things have become my filter for discerning the truth from the lies of the enemy. Never blame God and never allow guilt and shame to have a place in your heart.

Standing firm to see His Kingdom come.

Fish Stories, Weblogs, and the Man

After five years of blogging on the same template, I've changed to a new style. It's kind of hard to get used to. Especially since I've never had the profile turned on so I have 19 brand new hits to the profile in the past 20 minutes. Looks like nobody's even looked at the site in seven years. I mean, after a decade of writing you would think I would have millions of hits but here we're twelve years into this and less than two dozen profile views which is only a couple of years longer than I've been writing on this thing.

Actually, I was forced by the "man" to make the change. See, they messed with my old template and took away the archives so I had to move to a new template so the archives would appear again. Now you can go back all the way to the good ol days of 2002, track my writings between then and now, and ponder what went wrong. On another note, I'm thoroughly honored that the folks at REP (Republicans for Environmental Protection) have requested to use the blog below this on the front page of their newsletter. They're good people with a sensible agenda that declares that progress and conservation can co-exist to the betterment of us all. To that I say, Amen.