Walking by faith and not by sight

Trusting ever on the strength of the Lord

Looking to Him to open the doors

Touching the feeble, strengthening the faint

Not one too small and not one too quaint

Annointed to proclaim great liberty

Annointed to release great jubilee

Broken-in hands that tend to the task

Broken-in hearts that are made to hold fast

Hearts that will cradle those lost to deep pain

Hands that will mend, the removers of stains

A church forged in heaven before expression on earth

A church conceived and waiting for birth,

A people called out– forgiven and free

A people prepared to reach destiny

Shepherds hewn from the spiritual clay

Of the sending house, the same DNA

Given to those broken and bent

Just like the heart of those who have sent.

Expecting hard eyes to match my shame,

And a tear falls

As I gaze into love.

Do I toast Him by driving a nail into his hands

with my fork?

Fragile, yet unjudged

Warmed by the Son,

And cupped in His hand.

 a meal of authentic NY pizza

and creamy REAL cheesecake,

Remind me  life is fleeting and must be apprehended.

Blow afresh on me

Blow, Spirit, blow

Release my eyes to see

Blow, Spirit, blow

Break up the fallow ground

Blow, Spirit, blow

Let curses all fall down

Blow, Spirit, blow

Anoint me with your kiss,

Blow, Spirit, blow

A fire too strong to miss

Blow, Spirit, blow

Testify through me

Blow, Spirit, blow

That the world might know and see

Blow, Spirit, blow

For I am your very own

Blow, Spirit, blow

Your heart in me be sown.

As born again Christians, we are legitimate children of our Father God.

The prodigal asked for his inheritance and went off and squandered it.

Sometimes it feels as though we are alone and running our destinies and inheritance into the ground.

The prodigal lived wildly and sinned and grew fearful of his father’s rejection.

We sin despite our best efforts and sometimes live wildly and live under a cloud of rejection of our own making.

The prodigal came to the end of himself, where he was starving and more afraid of living without his father’s help than of the possibility of his father rejecting him and treating him as a servant.

The prodigal tried to please his father upon returning home by heaping shame upon himself and offering his service.

We come to the end of ourselves and slink back to God and try to atone for our shortcomings by heaping condemnation upon ourself or by offering vows and service to God.

The father only wanted relationship and ran with joy to meet his son. He celebrated his son’s return and didn’t care about any of the rest.

Our father God wants relationship with us to the point of killing HIS OTHER KID so that He could meet us and save us and have relationship with us. It’s not that He doesn’t care about our sin. It’s that He’s already provided for it. Our groveling and begging and promising accomplish nothing. The lamb has already been slain.

God welcomes us into His presence and reminds us that our squandered inheritance really doesn’t matter because EVERYTHING HE OWNS IS ALREADY OURS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN.
And all He really wants is a relationship with us.

God teach us to accept your free gift of grace and unconditonal love.

We all know people who have been disillusioned or wounded by the church.  In fact, most of us in some way or another could raise our hands for that altar call.  Whereever 2 or more are gathered in His name, there’s going to be conflict.  It’s inevitable. 

But, I believe the church is still where it’s at and here’s why.

1-There is a presence of God in the coroporate gathering that’s unique.

God shows up when we gather together.  It’s not that we can’t experience a measure of His presence privately.  But He’s promised to be in our midst when we gather and He undeniably is true to that word.

2-When the body of Christ works like it’s supposed to, it’s really really good.

I’m in a church which functions the way it should.  The leaders conciously and intentionally pour love and acceptance into the sheep.  As a result, the sheep have taken on the heart of the leaders and pour love and acceptance into one another. 

In this atmosphere, lives are radically changed.  Body life is expressed in little ways and big ways.  It could be as simple as someone offering to take you to the airport at 5:00 in the morning.  It could be as big as folks close to you decding in secret to make over your entire house and then raising the money themselves to do it and doing all the work themselves.  It is as simple as loving one another’s children and being genuinely interested in them as real people.  It’s as big as helping a single mom buy her own home or put her daughter thru college.  It’s as little as taking someone’s shift in the nursery.  It’s as big as listening to someone’s deepest and scariest self-revelation and looking them in the eye and telling them, “I still love you.  Nothing has changed.”

When community works like this—people start being freed of bondages, people start accepting themselves, people stop judging so harshly because they are no longer being judged.  Lives are radically changed.

That doesn’t happen when you’re sitting at home by yourself reading the Bible.  It just doesn’t.

3-God speaks thru the angels of His houses

In Revelation, God refers to pastors as the angels of the local assemblies

Like it or not, God has an authority system set up.  He speaks thru His pastors.  They carry with them an authority that others do not.  They have the mind and heart of God for their assembly.  To go it alone is to miss out on an impartation specific to a local church.  It’s too good to go without.

4-God set up the church and Jesus is the head

A body can’t function apart from it’s head.  Jesus is the head of the church.  If your’re not a part of the organized functioning church, you’re not connected to the head.  Disconnected parts die.  There’s no life apart from the body. 
If you’re reading this, are a believer, and stopped going to church, I understand that tendency.  I went through a period in my life when I wanted more than anything to drop out of church.  The body had hurt me, pastors had hurt me, and life was tough. 

But pushing through that, finding a place of forgiveness, and finding those who would pour grace into me has made the difference in my life.  Churches which work are out there.

It’s worth it to stay in the game and find one that works.

the mighty, mighty phoneix,

I turn

and give myself new permission to soar.

Wondering what went wrong, angry thoughts in head,

Thinking, ‘Why did Daddy hurt me so?’

And where’s the loving God that  I used to know?

Years later, running wild

Confused, broken teenage child

Crying, “When will God be real again?

And when will my healing begin?”

Middle-aged woman in her prime,

Serving God but still hurt inside

Jehovah-Shammah whispers near,

“I’m the God who is and I AM HERE.”

“I was there in the darkness at your side.

When your daddy left, oh I watched you cry.

And I kept your heart from breaking more,

And I kept you for your destiny in store.”

“I was there when you in your anger ran.

There when you refused to hold my hand.

And I kept the evil forces at bay,

So you’d be safe for another day.”

The little girl took the Father’s hand,

The teenage child began to understand,

And the middle-aged woman in her prime,

Realized God was there all the time.

Jehovah Shammah loves you too.

He’ll heal your past and take you through,

Till the child in you knows His Father’s heart

And then you’ll have a fresh new start.