Kingdom Fun

Testimony is the seed that God uses to grow faith. Last night, we watched miracle after miracle happen at a community church service involving all the churches in the area. I'd like to share some of them with you now.

Our prayer team was asked to be available to pray with people who may have been affected by a very recent tragedy involving one of the local pastors who was supposed to speak during the service. We gathered as a team to ask Holy Spirit how we should prepare. He said, "Let's do a treasure hunt." This seemed like a strange response, but Holy Spirit is the embodiment of  Power, Hope, Joy, Fun, Creativity... Why would I expect anything different to come from Him? We began to change our focus.

A treasure hunt is a game played where you ask Holy Spirit to give you "clues" so you can find the treasure Jesus wants to touch at any given time. We prayed. Each of us heard a list of items ranging from color to gender to age and ailments or situations people might be dealing with. We wrote what we heard, shared our lists with each other, and took them into the service. Then we watched.

One of the team heard items from her list mentioned by not one, but two of the pastors who were speaking during the evening. She was able to pray with them after and they received what Jesus wanted for each of them. Another team member took the phrase, "funny bone" that another person heard, to mean that God wanted to take a painful situation and turn it into joy. In speaking that interpretation out, she changed the course of the evening in the service. My husband was watching for a woman in a red and white horizontal shirt. His clue was that she would be sitting in the "front" row. He stood in the back and watched. During the service, a family came in and sat down in the back. One of the members, a woman, wore a red and white horizontal striped shirt. Holy Spirit showed him that she was in the row right "in front" of him. She was the treasure Jeff was looking for and Holy Spirit was beginning to get creative. 

My list said, "Boots, pre-teen, boy, yellow and sadness." I felt instructed to fold under the last word and keep it just between Holy Spirit and me, but to pray joy (the opposite spirit) over the boy if I found him. We walked into the service and immediately I saw the target. A boy wearing a yellow shirt and a bright yellow sweatshirt sat next to his teenage brother near the front. After the service I got to share my list with him and told him that he was the treasure Jesus told me about before he ever arrived at church. He seemed unaffected when I prayed, but later his mom said he became emotional over the word and came up to give me a big hug. We can't always go by what we see. We just have to trust that Jesus is doing what He wants to do in the lives He directs us to.

There was more fun that happened during the evening. I prayed over a woman who was crying as she filled out a card with prayer requests. I asked if I could pray over her while she wrote. The prayer was generic, but at the end I felt Holy Spirit to call her, "A lighthouse on a hill, a beacon that others would see and come to." She began to laugh so I stopped praying. She said, "You said God 'sees' me, then you called me a lighthouse on a hill. That's the church I go to and 'beacons' are what the women are called at the church. You would have no way of knowing that, but God does and He Sees Me!"  My husband and I prayed over a worship singer who was dealing with chronic back pain. Nothing seemed to change until he said that the pain was caused by his feet, legs and hips. Jeff asked if one of his legs was shorter than the other. He said, "Yes!" We sat him in a chair and gently pulled his legs out straight to measure them. His heals seems to line up, but his ankles were about an inch off. I placed my fingers on his ankle bones and Jeff began to pray. We watched as Jesus moved his ankles to line up right before our eyes. The man said, "Something's happening!" Sure enough, something did.

These are the things that follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-18). These are the things that happened with a tiny group of believers last night. Imagine the seeds handed out to all those Jesus touched. Seeds that will grow miracles of their own, fruit which will be produced by Holy Spirit and paths created which will lead people back to a good, good Father.

Trinity

I often get to visit with people who are confused about the three persons of The Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Usually, they fall into two categories: 1) They are afraid one one of them and therefore choose to ignore it. 2) They are worried that one is getting more credit than the other. I was contemplating this dilemma this morning as I prepared for work.

The thought occurred to me... My husband refers to me in different manners. He calls me "Babe" when he's talking to me as a husband or lover. He calls me "Mom" when it's something involving the kids or they are around. He calls me "Tam" when we're in business or ministry mode. Every time he uses one of those names, I know he's addressing me by the trait he needs to draw from. He is never confused or afraid of any of the above terms, and often makes up other names as needed. This is endearing. It's also a great way to communicate. I know what part of me he needs at any given moment. I am still me.

I wonder if it's the same for God. He is three in one, yet three very distinct parts. I don't think He gets offended if we use one name more than another. I love that each name has something I need desperately. He is God the Father: Creator, provider, protector and the one who gives and builds up my identity. He is God the Son: The only way to His heart, Lover, Friend, Confidant. He is God the Holy Spirit: My counselor, comforter and source of all His fruit. I refer to the part of Him I am in need of when I talk to Him.

Today, be aware of Trinity. Explore what He's saying to you about Himself. Encounter the freedom of intimacy with Him and let Him share with you his revelatory treasures.

How To Be An Influence

I recently heard the phrase, "Tapping the rudder," used to describe the means of which you slowly turn a huge vessel so that it moves in a new direction. This phrase often bothers me, not because it isn't true, but because I realize that the process is slow. When I feel a change is needed, I'm all about "repentance" which means to change the way you think... immediately.

A friend of mine reminded me, today, that I am a seed. I had posted the following illustration on Facebook:

She reminded me that I have already had a living, breathing example of this happening in my own life:

When we first moved to Abu Peak Ranch, this tree was a tiny plant, not unlike the one pictured above. Years went by. We didn't notice the work that was happening inside the rock. We only saw the tree as it grew. One day, years later, the roots of the tree had gone so deep that it broke the rock. The piece that fell off is visible in this picture.

This is how we influence. We let God plant us in the places He wants us. Then we grow. We allow him to water and feed us as we go "deep". We don't push and pull, we just grow. The slow and steady work, He does, causes the hardest of rocks to break... eventually.

The Importance of Testimony

When and where do we get to share the testimony of all God is doing? These are the stories that bring life to the tasks set before us. These are the seeds that grow faith in others. The examples of what God is willing to do again and again.

Last night, Jeff and I got to serve with some amazing people. We were asked to form a prayer team to minister at a worship night the young adults were putting together at our church. The group leading was made up of people in their late teens and early 20's. Since there is no Junior Holy Spirit, it was easy for me to get up under their leadership. Learning to serve whomever Jesus raises up is key to being part of the adventure.

The music was amazing. The stories shared between sets were raw and vulnerable. The atmosphere had been strategically set for Jesus to move. This is the place when The Father's love is thick and Holy Spirit draws on the hearts of those who are ready. I love not only participating, at times like these, but I also enjoy watching all that's going on as you see The Spirit move in and out of the crowd. This is what it looked like:

In the front, near the stage, kids were unashamedly worshiping. They didn't care what they looked like. There was no one there to tell them they were doing it "wrong" (lol). This must have been how David appeared as he worshiped daily before God. In the middle of the church, one young lady was reaching over the chairs to lay hands on a man in the next row back. His friends joined in on the prayer. Up in the crow's nest, where the behind the scenes crew hangs out, a man was comforting a boy who had just lost his own father. Laughter and tears were everywhere and the music continued.

As for me, I was approached by two boys who came up for prayer together. They looked to be about high school age. I almost missed them because I was moving to the other side of the room at the time. We have to keep our eyes open for these kinds of opportunities. I thought it odd that they would come up together. It is my experience that boys, especially this age, tend to be private if they are wanting to become vulnerable. Instead of questioning it, I just asked Holy Spirit where he was going to go in this situation. One boy began to share, "I just need 'change' in my life." He wasn't specific. The other boy said that he felt stuck in some things he couldn't seem to break through. This is how it begins. I tuned into see what Holy Spirit was showing me behind what the boys are saying. Now I knew where to begin.

I asked the boys if they were Christians. Had they allowed Jesus to come in and become part of their lives. They both answered an emphatic, "Yes!" Now I knew that this was going to be fun. "I'm going to do something a little different," I began to share with them, "I'm going to activate the two of you so you can pray for others." I had one lay his hands on the other while I followed Holy Spirit's lead. When this happened, I saw a whole plan laid out for this young man. Heaven had a lot in store, so I prayed that a spot light would be shined directly on him. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. I continued to share all I saw as I drew on heaven's "movie" I saw streaming his future. I reminded him that David was able to fight Goliath because he held on to God's promise that he would one day be king. This boy cried harder as he grasped his new hope and future.

When the roles were reversed and it was time to pray for the other boy, I felt that the thing keeping him "stuck" had to do with his family. I asked the first boy to place his hand on the back of the other boy's neck, right where it connects to the back. This is where our past seems to hang out, so that's where we went in. As I reminded this boy of all Jesus did on the cross, I was able to begin declaring that all his past has been crucified with Christ. He didn't have to be held back by anything that may have been passed down from one generation to the next. The boy got excited. We continued on wherever I felt Holy Spirit was taking us. In the end, I had one boy crying over God's goodness and one jumping for joy. Jesus does what he wants to do. It doesn't have to line up with my logic or reasoning. I just remain open and listen carefully for my role in the partnership. Who wouldn't want to be part of that?!?

Both boys left knowing that they now had a new promise and new assignments. They were activated into being able to pray for others on their journeys. This is how we grow people up in the kingdom. This is what Christianity gets to looks like... people loving on people and hope restored. I'd love to hear your testimonies so we can continue to pass out these seeds of faith.

Wake Up Calls In The Middle Of The Night

You know those times when you wake up in the middle of the night with something completely consuming your mind? I had one of those moments last night.

I am beginning to consider that these early morning "wake up" calls may be from heaven. Often times they come as answers to a question I've been asking. Sometimes they are directional and I can determine which part of a fork in the road I should pursue. Last night, I felt like a porthole to heaven had been opened. 

I woke with a thought. What if this is that moment when every possible healing I'd been going after was available. In my sleepy state, it felt like an advertisement... "For one moment only, you can have any healing you would like to ask for." Immediately, several other thoughts came, "You're just dreaming. This is silly. It isn't really happening." They came so fast, it felt like balls being pitched in a batting cage. There was only one way to stop them... Start swinging!

Once my brain cleared, I went back to pondering the thought that originally woke me. What if it was true? What if I really could have any healing I asked for in this moment? What if Jesus really meant it when he said, "You have not because you ask not. I only do what I see The Father do. Greater things will you do."?  What did I have to lose by believing that all those things were true? I began to ask. 

My mind became a parade of family and friends who needed Jesus to heal them. I asked for each ailment to be healed as I saw it go by. I noticed that a lot of the problems people dealt with had to do with "tasks" they felt obligated to perform. Isn't that interesting? Could the feeling like you had to do something actually bring on pain? Do we sometimes take on the role of a martyr when we endlessly serve in our jobs or in the lives of others? Could bitterness attach itself to something that started off being good? Maybe at some point we stopped thinking of how this could help someone else and we began to be consumed about how it was hurting us (taking away our freedom, our choices, our self being in the #1 position).

Danny Silk, in his book 'Keep You Love On', describes this kind of activity as being a "rescuer". We feel powerless unless we can find a place to rescue someone by taking on their tasks, cleaning up after them or finding other ways to meet their needs. This is actually an unhealthy co-dependency. It's not wrong to help others, but it is possible to go too far by taking on the entire burden ourselves. The results can leave the other person powerless, unable to handle their own issues and becoming totally dependent on us for their happiness, comfort and peace. At this point, haven't we just replaced God in their lives? We've become their savior. It comes at a price for us as well. We were never meant to carry such a heavy load. Our emotions are consumed, so our bodies respond... in pain. What a mess!

There is a solution. Become powerful and empower them to do the same. It's easier to give someone a "hand up" than it is to carry them on your back. Sometimes we need to teach others to do those things we've been doing for them. Sometimes need to stand by while they figure it out, ready to coach when necessary. Sometimes we just need to repent about having stepped into the role of God in the lives of others. There are lots of options.

So, whatever happened to the dream like state I was in? I actually fell asleep as I sent all my friends and family through the porthole of healing I was seeing. I woke up this morning with everything I just shared with you. I hope it helps.

Your Mistakes Don't Define You

This week, Jeff and I get to speak to a group of young parents about marriage, family, and raising kids from a spiritual perspective. The invitation, itself, made me chuckle. You see, I was not the poster child for this kind of model. I found ways to mess up each of these areas as I lived through them. There are many times, in my life, when I get to see God bring something full circle for no other reason than to let me bask in the glory of His transforming power. He demonstrates to me two amazing truths when He does this: 1) What He did on the cross changes everything. I can now live in the freedom I received from that moment rather than focusing on my shortcomings; 2) God is HUGE. I'm just not big enough to screw up His plans.

As a young wife and mother, I wanted my family to be perfect. Being a Christian, I figured I had a set of rules that would help. The 10 commandments was a good place to start. In fact, the Bible was filled with all kinds of rules I could use to govern my new little family. My heart was searching for ways to please God. I was tying my family up in knots and making a huge mess of our life. I was striving to be someone I didn't have the power to be and I was putting all those same expectations on my husband and children. It wasn't until years later that I realized the purpose of all those laws. They were to show me how impossible it is to be righteous on my own. I would always fall short. I needed to grasp what it meant to have a savior who had already done all that for me at the cross.

So last night I went to sleep wondering... What in the world am I going to share with this group? I woke up this morning seeing how God was redeeming all my former mistakes in the life He has now set before me. I constantly have dreams of raising children who aren't my own. I am now beginning to understand those dreams. I get a chance to show others that there are better, more joyful, ways to be a family.

Years ago, Jeff and I started a non-profit called M.O.R.E. Ministries, Inc. (http://www.moreministries.rocks). When we began learning about all Jesus did (and still does), we noticed that as soon as we learned something, there was always something more to learn just ahead. Life was no longer about rules, but instead became about opportunities to partner with Holy Spirit to see The Kingdom of Heaven touch Earth.

M.O.R.E. was designed to launch new ministries and raise up leaders to advance the kingdom culture Jesus refers to in most of his parables, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". M.O.R.E. is an acronym which stands for several things:
   Moving Out Radically Encountered.
      Moving Out Relationally Encouraged.
         Moving Out Responsibly Equipped.
            Moving Out Richly Empowered.

It was in seeing who we are and what we do now that I realized that this is not only how you raise up leaders and change a culture, this is also how you build a healthy marriage, raise a family and prepare children to be adults. All people need to be given opportunities to be radically encountered by Jesus. He's going to be the one to awaken their true identity. Our entire family needs to be surrounded by those who are willing to foster healthy relationships. Feeling loved and encouraged keeps us moving forward and helps us to avoid becoming critical and judgmental. As parents, we acquire tools we can  share with our children. We need to find creative ways to partner with our spouses so we can equip our young apprentices to use these tools. And finally, we need to realize that our home (and church) should be a huge "play-pen". We need safe places to try out all we have learned. We need places we can fall down and be lifted back up to try again. This is how we become confident, joyful and are finally ready to be... sent out.

Jeff and I have an apostolic calling on our lives. We now get to be fathers and mothers to many. We have also been presented with lots of fun opportunities for healing with our own children and marriage. Each time we learn something new, God continues to show us "There's Got To Be M.O.R.E."!

Relax! Be Who You Are.

You know those days when everything hard catches up with you?  Waves of inadequacy can crash in from all sides. Life looks really big and we question whether or not we have what it takes to compete, survive, or ever make a difference. This week, I had a one of those days.

Anytime a new opportunity comes my way, I seem to fall into a pattern. First, I get excited. Next, I step back and take a look at the big picture. Finally, I panic! It is this unhealthy "rut" that often prevents me from being able to risk being a part of something new. I freeze up, afraid to join the adventure. Fear becomes my partner and I fold under the lying accusations of the enemy. "You can't do this!" "You are nothing." "You will embarrass yourself and never be able to face people again." The list goes on and on...

This morning I was considering my children, all of which are brave and wildly adventuresome. I was remembering how one of them was able to influence hundreds of people without even saying a word. Our daughter, Tiffany, had a relationship with God that was different. She was completely disabled physically and mentally, but she carried the love of Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit everywhere she went. Wherever she was, lives were effected and changed. We never really understood how or why this happened so easily with her, but we watched it transpire time and time again. She has since passed away, so I decided to go back and watched her memorial service to remember how God can use us, just as we are, to accomplish great things (http://ladybugtiff.com). There were many testimonies being shared, but one story really stood out to me.

Tiffany was in the hospital room unconscious and presumably dying. A friend, who had never met her, asked to go into her room alone and spend some time with her. He was angry at God. Two of his children had died in a terrible plane accident years before. All he had left from that incident was his pain. This is what he carried into that tiny, machine filled room to see our child slipping away as well. The pain was more than he could bare.

We don't really know what happened in that room. I'm not sure our friend could clearly articulate the event either, but he shared what he could of the story at her memorial twelve years later (Tiffany did not die that day). Because Tiffany knew how to host the presence of God, His spirit was able to transform people around her, even when she was unconscious. She was a willing vessel. His power didn't depend on her ability. Jesus encountered people in her midst even as her mind and body lay disengaged, safe within his arms. Our friend went into that room angry and came out a new creation. His life would never be the same after that day.

This is the kind of life that inspires me. One that wasn't consumed by striving. Tiffany never worked at being Tiffany. She just was. God used her right where she was being just who she was. I need to grasp that kind of lifestyle. I need to relax and just be available. Responsibility is responding to His ability. How easy is that?!?

I Am That Superhero!

Jeff and I have been presented with some rare opportunities lately. One is to go to Africa in 2019 to share with and encourage the pastors there. The other is to be a part of a new School of Spiritual Empowerment right here in the Orlando area. As exciting as this all sounds, there is a difference between hearing about someone else doing it and living it for yourself.

How many times do we read stories in the Bible about all the wonderful, outrageous and miraculous things Jesus did during his time here on Earth?  As amazing as they sound, it's still fairly easy for us to believe that He actually did them. He is God, after all. God can do anything... anything He wants.

But what about me?  Why is it so hard to believe that I possess what it takes to follow in Jesus steps? Why does the wonderful, outrageous and miraculous things seem so far out of my reach? Why is it difficult for me to risk going out of my comfort zone?

A lot of what we face becomes big and scary because we forget who we are. I saw an episode on T.V. where a doctor explained to her protege how to "stand" before surgery. She said, "If you stand with your hands on your hips for 5 minutes, in a superhero pose, you will believe for yourself that you can be a superhero. I believe that sometimes art imitates reality. Jesus had already told us that very same thing:
   Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image.
   John 17:11 - ... that they may be one, even as we are.
   John 14:12 - ... Greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

We were created to be superheroes. The intent is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to expand God's Kingdom the same way Jesus did... through love. This doesn't bring glory to ourselves any more than a piece of artwork does. Instead, it brings glory to the artist. It causes people to want to know more about the artist. It is the beginning of a relationship with the artist.

Well then, that is who I am. I am a superhero. To discover my superhero abilities, I need only to ask Holy Spirit, "Who do you say that I am?" His answers will always reflect a part of His nature because I am made in His image. If what I am hearing sounds negative, then I may be hearing a lie. Lies aren't a problem. As a superhero, I can box them up and exchange them for "truth". I can lay them at the feet of the cross and pick up the truth God has for me in return. That's what superheroes do for themselves and for others. This is an easy way to grow Kingdom culture.

Now I can look at my opportunities through the eyes of a superhero. I can strengthen myself by looking in the mirror and remembering why the artist created this piece of art. I can become a little more confident in my ability to risk and begin to walk the adventure. I can do All things though Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

What You Are Thankful For Increases

This has been a particularly trying week for me. I have faced disappointment, stress, conflict of personal preferences with others, and just plain fatigue. Today, I couldn't think of one reason why it would be a good idea to leave my soft and cozy bed. My focus was all wrong. I had been "slimed" by a spirit that wasn't from God. It's times like this when I need to make a choice. I can choose to continue my pity party, feeling sorry for myself and blaming the world for my problems, or I can will myself to change what I focus on.

There are several stories in the Bible where Jesus feeds multitudes with very little resources. If I faced the same situation, I would probably be influenced by the fact that I only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. I would focus on what I lacked. Jesus focused on what he had and was thankful for it. He was thankful for what would never be enough... by worldly standards. Being thankful changes everything!

My husband and I own a company called, "Identi-Tees". We produce encouraging and thought provoking T-shirts to get conversation started with people who may be searching for More of God. I, often times, have to pull out one of these shirts or hats and wear it just to remind myself of who I truly am and what I carry. I do it to change my own focus. It reminds me of what my Father in heaven said... "I am who I say I am!"  I believe He may have been setting a pattern for me to follow. I need to remember who I am and then speak it out loud. I am who I say I am! I am choosing to focus on what I have, and I am going to be thankful. What I'm thankful for... increases.