Bishop's Touch

New Place for Me | QuintinMoore.com

2010-12-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone...It's been a long time coming but I have moved my blog to a new website. QuintinMoore.com...Update your bookmarks and feed readers and join me over at the new place!

HOW TO SPEAK WORDS TO THE WEARY!

2010-12-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

“The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.”
Isaiah 50:4 NKJ

Isaiah reveals to us how he received messages from the Lord. Like every other human being when he took care of his health by eating and sleeping regularly. In the morning, when he was the most rested and refreshed, when he was the most sensitive to spiritual responses, hew would get a “nudge” from the Lord. “Wake up, Isaiah, I have many things to tell you.”

Solomon wrote: “...when you awake, they (the words of God) will speak with you.” (Pr. 6:22) Jesus often challenged his disciples: “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Waking up is the first step. Hearing from the Lord is the next step. This is why a consistent plan of daily devotions is so important and vital to spiritual health.

Isaiah tells us that the result of awakening and listening to the Lord, is the ability to say the right word to the right person in the right place at the right time. Eyes open from sleep, ears open to God and then your mouth will open to speak refreshing words to the languishing, weary followers of the Lord.

Eyes open, Ears open, Mouth open -- that is a good sequence -- for us as well as for Isaiah!

The Power of 3!

2010-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

... a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12

One strand of cord can easily be severed. Two strands of cord can be stretched and pulled until they split. But a threefold cord is not easily broken.

Scripture never tells us exactly what these three strands symbolize. But here are some ideas that I have found:

1. Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Family ties. Man had a serious rupture from Adam to Noah. But with his three sons to help him, Noah survived.

2. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Covenant relationship. naming these three and claiming the blessings that were given to them through covenant is the very basis of our faith.

3. The Law, the prophets, and the scriptures. These three make up the truth as revealed to Israel.

4. Spirit, Soul, and Body. All three of these must function in harmony in order for man to live life.

5. Husband, wife, and child. The basic family unit.

6. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity. God Himself is a community of three.

7. ( your thoughts) I have left this one blank so you can send me your suggestions.

Advent... just around the corner!!!

2010-11-05T08:37:00.001-07:00

We are about to celebrate “Advent.” Advent is the sacrament of the PRESENCE of God in His world. His purpose to unify all things together in Christ, begins and continues in the mystery of His Advent (Eph. 1:10). The Presence of Christ in the world as Savior, is the Advent that changed and continues to change the world.

We understand that there are three Advents. The first of these is the one in which Christ entered into the world, having received a Human Nature. The third is the Advent which will bring Him into the world at the end of time. In the first He comes to seek and save the lost. The third is that in which He comes to take us to Himself. The first is a promise and the third its fulfillment.

We live our lives between these two arms. Embraced by the Father’s ultimate plan for reuniting humanity to himself. Our past and our future are completely in His hands. As we mediate on the mystery of these two ‘Advents’ we are transformed, changed by the overwhelming love of this great embrace.

Meditation on the past and future Advents leads us to recognize the present Advent that is taking place at every moment of our lives as we journey through this present life. Every moment is a moment when Christ is walking by; are we aware of His Presence? Will we call out to Him, will we join Him and travel with Him?

It is in the hiddenness of the middle (second) Advent where you and I are called to live and to become like Him. It is in our “becoming like Him” that He is revealed to this world. In other words, this second Advent is one in which we are co-laborers with Christ so that others may come to know the Christ.

The very mystery of Christ at work through Jesus Christ, continues in and through the Church. The Church, the body of Christ, is the community of those we are reconciled to the Father, in Christ, because they are united with one another in the Holy Spirit, who has shed His Love abroad in our hearts.

It is this unity, that makes the Church a sign, an Advent, of God in the world. So the mystery of the Church demands that Christians love one another in a visible and concrete way -- and that they love all men.

I am convinced that, Christ will become visible to the world, only in direct proportion as Christians seek peace and unity with one another and with all men. Since conflict seems inevitable, unity will only be maintained in great difficulty, it will require a constant renewal of sacrifice, humility and a readiness to receive forgiveness and to forgive. It would appear that the Christian life is one of perpetual conversion, a life of continual repentance.

It appears to me that “Love” is the key to everything. This love will never be understood by rational investigation but only by faithful reception as the gift that it is. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

When we as Christians love one another we become what Paul calls, “God’s workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). Thus the second, middle, or hidden Advent of Christ is made know in our love and forgiveness for one another. It is this community of pardoned people, the body of Christ, the Church through which God is making Christ known during this moment between the first and third Advent of Christ.

“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,...” Eph. 3:10

It is within this mystical body of Christ that we see the very power of the Father’s love unite individuals to one another by Mercy and Grace. The Church then is not so much a body of people who are so pure that they never offend, but rather people who in their weakness and frailty, frequently err and offend, but who have received from God the power to forgive one another in His name (John 20). The Holy Spirit himself moves them to do this; and acts in them, to preform this miracle of grace and oneness. In the same proportion that we love and pardon one another we open the whole Church to the action of the Holy Spirit.

In the Church this community of pardoned people, we must not refuse to accept the genuine good will of our brother, we must not reject his sincere and open offers of reconciliation, his true friendship. Even our enemy must not be judged, but his need for forgiveness must be recognized. We must not allow our evaluation of a man’s acts stand in the way of the Holy Spirit, who draws us into unity with others.

No one of us is complete, self-sufficient, perfectly holy in himself. No one can rest upon his own individual virtues. What is missing in our lives God had given to others.

This is the beauty of “Advent,” the Presence of the Christ coming among us as our Savior. In His presence we are forgiven, love and adopted into this Great Family of the Pardoned. Our redemption reunites us not only to God the Father but to one another and it is in that unity that the “fullness of Christ” is made known.

I hope these words help us to prepare for “Advent” and to recover the reality of the “Church.” Only then can we receive the “Truth of Christmas.”

Bishop Quintin

The Word is never chained....

2010-10-26T06:08:00.001-07:00

for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
2Tim. 2:9

Chained -- it means to “to chain, shackle, put in fetters, or imprison.”

Paul speaks of his own imprisonment and yet he reflects on his hardship and suffering as being treated like a common criminal. Mostly likely both his hands and feet were chained in some sort of irons. It was probably the worst type of confinement that you can imagine. And yet he burst forth joyfully: “I am suffering as though I were a criminal, but the Word of God is not bound.”

Inspite of circumstances that seem to restrict, bind, or limit us; His promises can never be limited. Isaiah tells us, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” His word is never chained.

The world seems to be living in “chronic crisis.” Crisis is all around us, in fact it appears to control every one I meet. We must recover Paul’s understanding of the challenges or shall I say the “crisis’s” of our lives. We are called to live in “chronic Christ” not “crisis.”

No matter what Paul faced he is able to rejoice in the fact that even though he sat in chained in a dark, dismal cell, the Word of God was still moving all over Asia Minor and many people were hearing the Gospel.

“Though I am limited in what I am able to do and where I am able to go,” Paul says. “But the promises of God know no limitations. He is still sending His Word and healing people everywhere (Ps. 107:20).

The Sleeping Beauty

2010-10-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

The church is alive, contrary to what “some say”; alive with the essence and the energy of God. However, like “sleeping beauty", she lies under a spell concocted by a culture who has not recognized her beauty.

The voices of institutionalism and individualism have conspired, perhaps unknowingly, to keep her safely hidden from those in need of her goodness, truth, and beauty. But on lonely walks through the woods of my soul, I have caught glimpses of her beauty, waiting to be kissed, waiting to be received, this bride appears to be ready to awaken.

Covered with layers of institutionalism and self centered individualism, the body of Christ, the church, the results of the resurrection of Christ, remains unseen by most of humanity.

Individualism seeks to deconstruct or discredit institutionalism, while the institution that struggles to survive fights back. People, becoming weary of the struggle over the baby, seemingly are satisfied to have the child “cut in two,” much as Solomon offered. Alas one or the other will let go and yet neither have found the truth.

Into the forest we must forge! Into the shadows of the stories told of the beauty of this bride. This is the journey that I have found myself on.... traveling over stones covered with moss, slippery with the dew of early morn. Light breaking through the trees reveals a turn in the path that is so easily unnoticed. My heart is pounding for a glimpse of this “sleeping beauty.” Moments of vision pierce through the shadows, rays of understanding, snippets of revelation, my spirit soars in anticipation....

She is here, she is alive, the church, the people of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit..... the continuation of the Christ, the community of pardoned humanity, the new creation!

Exhausted I fall into the leaves, under the canopy of the oaks, serenaded by the sounds of nature, sleep overtakes. There she is .... her beauty is beyond anything I have ever seen. Not only do I see, but I feel it, somewhere deep within comes this flood of fulfillment, warmth, an embrace that seems to lift me into the heavens.

A kiss that awakens every fabric of my being. There she is, in His embrace.

But wait she is “us.” We are, you and I together, united in Him and each other We are “sleeping beauty.”

We sleep under the power of separation from each other. Either by institutional dispute or individual demand, we allow ourselves to become separated from each other in the forest of this culture.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “He who looks upon his brother should know that he will be eternally united with him in Jesus Christ...in Jesus Christ we have been chosen and united for eternity.”

“United for eternity.” These words have captured my imagination and have awakened my spirit. The two most important things that the church does is “worship and witness.” Our unity is both our worship and our witness.

The world longs to see the truth, the goodness and the beauty of the body of Christ. All the while the voices of this culture continue to separate rather than unite, deconstruct rather than build.

It is too easily forgotten that the communion of the brethren is a gift of grace. Paul says, “He is our peace,” (Eph. 2:14). Without Christ there is discord between God and man and between man and man.

The beauty, the goodness, the truth that each of us seek is found in the unity, the communion of Christians. This is the church. A communion of the pardoned that gather “to remember", “to give thanks” for the One who lived and died and lives again. As we gather to lay down our individuality and be united to Him and to one another, “Sleeping Beauty” awakens and the future reality of eternity breaks into the present.

My continual prayer is that you would join me on this journey. To walk into the woods arm in arm, to agree to share this path together. This path of forgiveness, of love and grace. To awaken in His embrace with His breathe on our lips, to be together with Him that is my desire.

For I am convinced that as we gather in faith to worship He is present. And our unity, our gathering plus His Presence is our witness. And that witness is our mission.

Special Miracles

2010-10-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

...God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. (Acts 19:11)

A miracle is always special, so what does Luke mean here when he speaks of special miracles? Other versions of the Bible translate this word as “unusual,” “extraordinary,” or “uncommon.” Since by definition a miracle is always something unusual, extraordinary, or uncommon, this verse is almost a play on words: “God wrought ‘special special’s’ ‘extraordinary extraordinaries,’ unusual unusuals’ by the hands of Paul.”

the thing that made these particular miracles so “special” was the geographic location in which Paul was ministering when they were performed. In New Testament days, the two cities most widely known for their total degeneracy and depravity were Corinth and Ephesus. Biblical scholars tell us that these two towns were open sewers of dissolution and debauchery. Yet they were the very areas God chose in which to perform the greatest miracles recorded in the book of Acts. Why?

There is a spiritual tense that says..... where sin abounded grace did much more abound (Rom. 5:20). Paul could well have been speaking of these two cities when he made that statement. The greater the presence of darkness, the greater the provision --- and power --- of God’s redemptive light.

That should encourage us today. Perhaps none of our modern-day cities compares in wickedness with Corinth and Ephesus, but God still has “special” miracles for each of them. Claim the “special” miracles of divine deliverance the Lord has for you and your hometown.

The Centrality of Worship

2010-09-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

Worship is central to who we are; to to who we are becoming! "A person will worship something, have no doubt about that.... That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore....what we are worshipping we are becoming." (Emerson).

The identity of the church is determined by its worship. We must worship, stand in awe, lost in wonder, love and praise, aware of the holiness of God, this is our identity as the people of God, the church. Worship is the context and the catalyst for transformation. Robert Webber said, "Worship is the key to the renewal of the church...the way to the future runs through the past."

We are commanded "to remember," to remember the self-giving life of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection is the very basis and the future of our life. Life unites with humanity in order to give itself away. "To remember" is to join this very life of Christ and to live with and for Him being joined to His Body. A Body that is united to worship the "one" who is the source of life.

Unite my Heart!

2010-09-22T06:33:00.001-07:00

Teach me your way, O Lord;
.....unite my heart to fear your name.
Psalm 86:11NKJ

Have you ever felt like you had it all together, finally, and then forget where you put it?

The psalmist prays for wisdom to know how to take all the various areas of his life and weave them together into one single strand of unity and harmony. I have mediated upon this verse many times and it has helped me to find harmony within the Holy Spirit and with the entire body of Christ.

In Hebrew, the word translated “unite” is the word yachad. Most define it as “to join together, to become one.” A Christian is not a divided person or personality. Although we are comprised of different “parts,” we really are a “unified” being. Our tangible and intangible bodies are inextricably interwoven together with each other and with the Creator. A Christian truly is one with himself and with His God.

The Christian must also come to recognize that he or she is also one with his brothers and sisters in Christ. In such a fusion, there are no divisions, no separations, no barriers, no cross, no conflicts of interest.

When believers truly become one Body, with Christ as Head, instead of going off in hundreds of different directions, we will finally be able to give total concentration to the one thing we are all called to do: WORSHIP THE LORD AND BE WITNESSES TO HIM IN ALL THE WORLD.

I love this verse; “Unite my heart to fear Your Name!”

HEAR THE BREEZE

2010-09-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day...
Genesis NKJ

The cool of the day was around four o'clock in the evening. It is the time when the evening breeze begins to stir. The Hebrew word translated cool in this verse is ruwach. Elsewhere in Scripture, this same word is translated breath, wind, breeze, spirit, and Holy Spirit.

God is a spirit. When the afternoon breeze began to stir in the Garden of Eden, God as a spirit came to Adam and Eve in the wind. Although it is not stated that this was a daily occurrence, most Bible scholars consulted seemed to feel that this was the case.

David Kimchi, a Jewish scholar living in Spain in the 12 century, wrote that Adam and Eve sinned around the four o’clock time. Satan’s strategy was to tempt Adam and Eve into disobedience, thereby creating a sin barrier between them and God.

Matthew-Henry, an 18th century scholar writes: “There is an evangelic not to this passage. God know they had sinned, but it did not keep Him from coming to meet them. Even though they had failed, miserably, He still came looking for them. He remained faithful to being “Good.” Our failures reveal His “Fail-fulness.” His compassion for them effected a reconciliation and the promise of the coming Messiah.

To this very day every human being still longs for the breeze, the wind, the Holy Presence of God to come to them. To those of us who believe in Christ we have received His eternal, never leaving presence into our lives and we know the comfort of His embrace.

As the breeze, wind blows around my deck this morning I am overwhelmed by the fact that He continues to come to me. In spite of human failure, His divine faithfulness covers me with His Present Grace.

Update on Haiti!!

2010-09-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

“...And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” (Luke 10:29-30).

Located only some six hundred miles from the shores of Florida, Haiti is laying beside the road! Haiti is our neighbor!

Haiti is an entire nation who has fallen, been stripped, wounded and left half-dead. This country of nine million people, of which eighty percent are living in total poverty was devastated by an earthquake that took at least six hundred thousand lives.

Living on the edge of humanity this country was thrown into complete despair by the earthquake. There are numerous sights that took my breath away and nearly brought me to my knees, but it was the emptiness in the eyes of the children that has affected my soul.

Everyone has suffered loss! Grievous loss! Death has robbed each of them of, father, mother, children, brother.... I listened as a young mother speaking in a low monotone voice clutching her four year old daughter, spoke of the loss of her twin children and her husband. Looking blankly into the distance as if somewhere over my shoulder she would see them, tearlessly she replayed the nightmare of that day. A day that would alter not only her life but everyone around her.

There was and is no one to comfort her, because everyone is grieving. Death and destruction has touched the entire nation. They sit in the midst of rubble starring off into nothingness!

The Haitian government was and still is unprepared to assist it’s people. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Port Au Prince for the surrounding foothills. Makeshift huts, some of wood and some of tent or tarp like materials fill the base of the mountains. As the rains come the conditions only worsen. The people have watched as their huts have slowing been eroded by the water as it has overtaken home after home. Standing, and stagnant water of the rainy season has made the conditions even more ripe for typhoid, malaria and all other diseases.

This past week as I walked among these people I am convinced that we must be the neighbor that Christ spoke of in Luke’s Gospel.

I realize that we cannot do everything but we can do something.

With your help we can assist in the feeding, education and rebuilding of the lives of the children of Haiti. I have partnered with “People To People” so that we can touch the lives of the Haitian people, particularly the children.
We are working on several strategies to partner with this existing ministry to restore the lives of the people of Haiti. I know that the Lord spoke to me about being present in Haiti after the initial response. We are to make long term commitments to these people.

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (Luke 10:34-35).

The challenges for Haiti are long standing and require long term compassion. We can make a difference in their lives if we are willing to remain steady in our efforts. I want to thank each of you for your support and encourage you to make a monthly pledge to assist these children.

You can visit the website www.fathershouse.net/Haiti....and make your donation. There you will find several pictures and I will keep you posted as to the upcoming plans and projects.

Hungry For God

2010-09-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hunger for God is one of the greatest signs of life a believer can have. It reveals that inner awareness of God. This desire is in itself testimony that there is more, and the fact that we possess that hunger to seek God should encourage us to pursue encounters with Him.

I crave time with my children and grandcildren. That craving, that cry would destroy me if it were not possible for that reality to exist. “He who loves Me.... I will love him and manifest Myself to him. (John 14:21). This is more than a heavenly promise. We are not only to receive the Holy Spirit but we are to see Jesus over and over again. He will be found by those who love and seek Him.

God told Samuel that He did not look at the outward but instead he looked on the heart. It was from that perspective that David was chosen. David’s heart of passion of hunger for God is what attracted God’s attention.

David’s passion for God was seen on the other side of the mountain as he cared for sheep. David worshiped without anyone else around for many years before he gave insight to Israel and their worship. David’s heart and passion for God is known through not only Christianity but nearly every faith.

This worshipping King hungered for the very presence of God, above all else. David endeared himself to God as a man of great passion -- for God and for life.

I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. (Acts 13:22)

I repeat hunger, passion for God is one of the greatest signs of life a believer can have. That passion pulls the believer into worship and draws others to worship together. l

There is a sound emerging from within our culture that has affected the Kingdom. It is no more or no less than the idea that we as believers are called to merely perform social or civic duties. It would reduce us to being chaplains of society. Thus the church losses focus on here highest calling.

I serve from Him, not merely for Him. This may seem overly simple but it is the key to ministry. This was the model that Jesus gave to us. He only did what He saw His Father do and said what He heard the Father say.

The greatest example of this is the story of Mary and Martha. Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus while Martha chose to work in the kitchen. Mary sought to please Jesus by being with Him while Martha sought to please Him through service. “Mary has chosen the better part.” was His reply.

As I write this I realize that some will take this to mean that they can stop doing anything and just sit.... However, that is not the meaning of this little letter nor the story of David, Mary or Martha. The point is that without sitting in His Presence any attempt of ministry is futile. All ministry must flow out of His Presence. Presence Centered worship will lead to Presence Driven ministry.

Martha respond to a need that was not even expressed, because she did not understand her own favor. Thus out of her own insecurity she was fixing a lunch that was never ordered. And all the while “living bread” was being offered. Only after we’ve eaten from His Table can we feed others.

David’s passion, Mary’s attention we must come to realize that what the world is in real hunger for is His Presence.... In His Presence there is “fullness.”

AGREEMENT - THE MASTER KEY OF THE KINGDOM

2010-09-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

Agreement --- the Master Key of the Kingdom!

Jesus came proclaiming the presence of the Kingdom and the Father’s pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He went as far as to say that He would bestow upon us the “keys to the Kingdom.”

It appears that the overarching theme of the New Testament is the announcement and the availability to live in the Kingdom of God. And yet we still live as though the Kingdom is some distant hope that is only realized after death.

Again Jesus, inspires us by saying that “the kingdom is within us.” He encourages us that “out of our inner-most being will flow rivers of living water.” Today perhaps like none other we need to take time to reflect on the way that we view the King and His Kingdom.

We all read the scriptures that tell us “He lives in us.” And we mentally understand that where He is there is the Kingdom. But I don’t think we have really come to terms with what that means.

“Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand!”

This is an invitation, not a threat! We have been and are being invited to live within the domain of our Heavenly Father. To live under the protection, provision and polity of the One who Loves us and has given His life for us all.

To “abide under the shadow” of the Almighty that is our inheritance. This is our “secret place,” the very mystery of being in the world but not of the world. And to further grasp that He has given us the “keys” of this kingdom is even more exciting than ever.

Matt. 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

God lives between the two Cheribs who forever face each other above the Mercy Seat, and it is there that He promised to meet with Israel. Christ sent them out two by two. Two are better than one, one will put a thousand to flight but two ten thousand. When God desires to bless you he brings another into your life.

Ruth had one conversation with Naomi and she was introduced to Boaz. Elisha needed Elijah! David and Jonathan were friends. Andrew introduced Peter to the Lord, and Barnabas was helpful to Paul.

The power of two is scatter all the way through our Christian History. When Christ came he revealed the power of two as the “master Key” to the Kingdom. “If two of you agree.....”

Wow! Simple and yet profound. James told us where there is strife, evil and confusion prevail. Jesus through his own blood removed the condemnation, judgmental, and over all criticism of this world. In fact Jesus calls us to agree with our adversaries.

Agreement, harmony, unity is the very vehicle through which the very power of God is released in His Kingdom. To live under the shadow and in Agreement and to see the manifestation of the Kingdom of God is and should be our greatest desire.

Jonathan and his armor-bearer were able to defeat a huge army merely through agreement. (1 Samuel 14:6-15).

May we set our hearts to agree with God, and with each other.

Sweet Peace...

2010-09-03T06:42:00.001-07:00

Sweet is the peace and serenity of the early morning before before anything makes a harsh sound or shakes the morning dew; two deer feed along the woodland path, and a brown leaf or two floats down from the trees. Though it is early, Autumn seems to begin and the cool quiet morning mists soothe the spirit.

Human spirits need a lift now and then. But it is not the things outside a person that turn on the light or heal the soul. Only the heart can do that. The heart is the core, a place where words, beliefs, and images are stored. Life springs from this place and rejects the darkness, no matter how many times it presents itself.

Be like the flower that opens to the light and closes when touched by darkness. The choice is yours -- the darkest night cannot touch the bloom that will not open to it.

As Pure as Gold!!!

2010-09-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

I realize that blogs, facebook, twitter is probably not meant for prophetic word stuff... However I felt this was maybe useful to more than just me....

A WORD FOR THE LORD:

I know the way that you take, and when you come forth, you shall come forth as gold, yes as pure gold, having been tried by the fire. My eye is upon you in loving watchfulness, and My ear is open to your cry.

Be not over-charged with anxiety. I am thy burden-bearer. Be not anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow I shall be your supply. Praise Me NOW, and let your confidence in Me be seen and manifest. So shall the faith of others be encouraged, for your life is a witness to many.

I AM your portion: I will keep you in perfect peace. Because you have made the Most High your dwelling place, I shall deliver you from all trouble. I shall bless you and reward you, and reveal to you the greatness of My Salvation.

Gratitude!!!

2010-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

"To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us -- and He has given us everything." (Thomas Merton)

I have noticed that those who are not grateful soon become complainers and critical of everyone and everything. True gratitude and hypocrisy cannot exist together. They are totally incompatible. Gratitude of itself makes us sincere -- or if it does not, then it is not true gratitude. Gratitude is more than a mental exercise, or a formula. We cannot merely make mental notes of things which God has done for us and then perfunctorily thank Him for favors received.

Every breath we draw is a gift of His Love, every moment of existence is a grace. Gratitude takes nothing for granted, it is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to a new wonder and to praise the goodness of God. A grateful man knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that makes all the difference in living.

Gratitude is the basis of all "celebration." And ungratefulness is the basis of all "criticism." What we are thankful for we will celebrate, thus the center of all Christian worship is the "Great Thanksgiving" -- the "Lord's Supper" -- "The Eucharist!"

As we gather at the "table of the Lord" we are grateful for the very provision of life that God has provided and continues to give us every moment of every day and night. Gratitude becomes our doorway into the very Life of God.

More latter......

Decide and Declare....

2010-08-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

We all handle hundreds of decisions every day -- dress or pants, ceral or pancakes, coffee or tea, this project or that, shopping or banking, park here or there, and so on. If we really knew how many decisions and details we attend to each day, we'd be overwhelmed. Sometimes we're overwhelmed even without knowing the exact number! But few decisions are more important than this one: what words we use with those around us. Even on our busiest day, we can find time to say, "Great jobb!" , "What a lovely dress", "Thank you!" , and most important of all "I love you!" Remember to keep live and love at the top of the list of decisions you have to make each day. You'll be happier, and others will too.

Job 22:28 You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways.

We forget all to easily that our words are the very vehicle of life, death, power, etc.... The Creator created with words, heals with words, He Himself is "the Word." Once we decide to follow the "Word" and to "decree or speak" the Word our lives will be established and favor shall shine.... Most of our lives are spent vacillating between our decision of His Word or another.

We are surrounded by a culture who has the idea that everyone has the rights to "interpret" or "think" on their own .... perhaps we should merely "follow" the Word! Even Jesus submitted to what He "heard and saw the Father doing." You might be wondering yeah but how do I "hear and see" or "who do I watch and listen."

Well for me "God is Love".... Love always recognizable.... Let us Follow the Words of Love!!!! Lets declare the words of love.

Living or Dancing in the Rain!

2010-08-24T05:32:00.001-07:00

Last night the rain came. It probably wasn't as much as we needed, but it was much appreciated. The flowers will bloom and stand tall -- showing their gratitude for the much needed moisture. That was a gift. Another gift came when I watched this young doe walk out of the woods and across the yard; investigating the change in temperature. We have seen many deer, but this one ventured very close to the house and stood and watched us as we her, together we enjoyed the rain.

Sometimes when we don't get what we things we think need (like our thinking we needed a lot of rain), we receive gifts we don't expect; the grace of a little rain, a reprieve from the heat, the beauty of a blooming flower, and the visit of a lovely deer. Perhaps those were the gifts we really needed and the Holy Spirit, who is much wiser than we, generously gave them to us. May we have the wisdom to receive those unexpected gifts with thanks and deep appreciation.

Rain has always been a sign of God's refreshing Presence! Nature reveals so much to us about the Creator. And yet it is so difficult for us to "slow down" and to see what He may be giving us in every moment of our lives.

Rom. 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

To "wake up" every morning in a world created by God for us. To stop momentarily and see what it is that He is showing us, perhaps that is worship on some level ... it is a least gratitude. And one thing I am growing in my own journey is that if I am grateful and celebrating what He has provided for me --- I am not as tempted to judge or criticize others.

I desire to celebrate and not criticize... may God reveal to you all that is worthing of celebrating in every creature ....!!!!

Remember: You are one in whom Christ lives and you live in the strong, unshakable Kingdom of God .... NOW!

I think I'll go out and dance in the rain.....

Ordinary is OK!

2010-08-23T07:02:00.001-07:00

Most of us fear that someone will challenge our right to be a certain way, to be able to do a certain thing. What will people think if they find out we are "ordinary" human beings? What others think does not count for much. It is what we think about ourselves and God; and what we tell ourselves that make all the difference.

Of course we are ordinary--why shouldn't we be? What is wrong with being just an ordinarily good person? Who can dare suggest there is something wrong with having respect for ourselves? So, think well of yourself, live your life well -- and let others think what they want!

COURAGE

2010-08-22T04:40:00.001-07:00

We have to believe that it is possible to have the courage needed to do the impossible. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all there is to do in our lives--and even more overwhelmed by what needs to be done in the world. Courage will help us do what the Holy Spirit calls us to do.

Courage doesn't mean not to have fear or not to feel overwhelmed; courage means to act from the heart. If the Holy Spirit lives in our heart, we can move ahead with confidence. There may be no signs that promise better times, but remember they are possible. Depend on that glimmer of inner light and know that those who do the impossible are those who kept going when everyone said it couldn't be done.

Broken or Refined?

2010-08-22T04:39:00.001-07:00

All our experiences refine us -- and sometimes they try us to the bone. But when we've made it through a trying experience, we know that the next time we face this thing we will know what to do.

The old way of breaking and training a horse was to get on it and ride until it quit trying to throw the rider. Thank goodness, there are new ways no to gentle a horse, but many of us act like a horse being broken the old way. We buck and snort until we throw the rider, and even then we're still wild and poorly adjusted. Most of us don't like being refined. We want to do it our way -- and we pay the consequences for that. It's important, though, to remember how strong we are when we learn -- and how weak when we react. Our challenge is to be open to learning throughout our lives, knowing that what we learn will help us with whatever we encounter in the future.

Looking over the Edge!!!

2010-08-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

We can stand where we are or stand on tip-toe and look over the edge. What is the edge? It is that place where fear lurks and no one dares to get to close. Many dreams have taken us up to the edge. With quaking knees, we have looked over the immense distance between what is and what could be. Most people turn away from the edge -- it's just to scary. But we don't have to turn away. We can go to the edge and leap, if we can believe in something greater than what can be explained. The most important thing is to let go of the fear and take hold of life whose Light never goes out.

When we seek the Prophetic Presence of God we seem to always be standing on the edge. Like Eagles who leap off the ledge we are called to live facing the storm, the rush of the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit who will empower us to soar to heights of which we have never dreamed.

In stead of leaping off the edge to fall, we leap off the edge to soar. The Spirit of God empowers us to break the forces of gravity and lifts us upward into the realms of His Presence. It is our eyes that trick us and hold us to the ledge. Why? Because I find myself looking over the edge rather than looking above the ledge. It is who is "over" not what is "beneath" that we should be focused on. Today we must look up... Up to He who has calling us to the edge, to soar, to discover that within our design is the capacity to be with the One who is Higher!

So stop looking over up above the edge..... Leap ... Go ahead !!!! Fly!

DON'T LOOK BACK!!!

2010-08-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Time and time again we feel the harshness of failing---even, or especially, when we bravely make another attempt to do something.

Most of the time we don't think about failure as an enemy, but it is. We simply have to plan a strategy that will carry us past that place where we once failed and help us to overcome all the things that dog our tracks--even ourselves. There are two necessary parts to this new strategy: first, strive to do better every day; and second, don't look back.

"I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!" (Phil 3:14-15 MSG)

Love Transforms us.... Just watch!

2010-08-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

What a great look at how God works in our lives....

Alone is not always bad!

2010-08-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

If we are to ever hear from God in the midst of a world that is full of noise we must learn how to be alone without being alone. To make room for God to speak, to listen to Him!

I saw this and thought of you....

The Renewal of Eustace

2010-08-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

In his third book, in the series of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis tells the story of the transformation the difficult little boy Eustace. Eustace is this nasty little complainer who is generally obnoxious and awakens to find out that he has become a green scaly dragon himself.

Eustace sobs when he realizes the meaning of this reality, his outside now reveals his inward being. He comes to understand that he does not have the ability to remove this outward skin. Aslan - the lion and the Christ figure in the story - explains to Eustace that he must allow Aslan to undress him before he can be renewed in the wonderful waters of renewal.

The very first tear was so deep that I thought he had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything i’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling that stuff peel off. After he peeled off all the skin, i was as smooth and soft as a peeled switch. He caught hold of me and through me in the water. At first it smarted, but then it became perfectly delicious. I’d returned into a boy again.... And after a bit the Lion took me out of the water and dressed me. New clothes and all.

God intends to make us into new persons who reflect his image. To do so he must remove the old skin that represents our old way of life and clothe us with new skin made in the likeness of him. In order to become like him we must become boys again.

The Christian life is a lifelong process of taking off the soiled, tattered garments of our sinful nature and being dressed with a fresh set of clothes that will transform us into beings reflecting God’s holiness and righteousness.

God’s intent for you to reflect his image: “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:24).

The Holy Spirit is God’s tailor: he is ready to give us a new set of clothes and discard the old threadbare wardrobe. But the old way of life dies a slow, bitter, bloody death. It does not want to give up its grip. Yet the new set of clothes are so much more becoming.

As in Eustace’s story, it is the Lord who must be giving permission to dress us anew. We can’t remove the scales ourselves. Our prayer should be, “Lord, do what it takes, reach as deep as you need, go after the wrong thinking, wrong feelings, wrong behaviors. Go straight to the heart of the matter, because our desire is to be made over, renewed, in the likeness of God.

Renew!!!

2010-08-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

One of the last things that the Lord speaks to the church is one of the most comforting; "Behold, (look and see) I make all things new.... He who overcomes shall inherit all things, I will be his God and he shall be my Son." (Rev. 21:5,7)

All of creation has suffered from the Abuse of a fallen Angel. Lucifer/Satan has deceived and abused every human being; beginning with the first couple. To abuse, literally means to misuse, to use wrongly or improperly, thus leaving the victim traumatized. The whole of creation has been misused. The enemy of God truly desires to destroy all of our Fathers creation. The very environment that He created to the Image of Himself, His Children.

I have come to realize that as children of God we are at risk of "child abuse." Nothing alters the thinking and the development of a human being like abuse. Many begin to believe that what has happened or is happening is their fault. They even begin to accept the LIE that this is God's will for their lives.

The original abuser begins every attack by questioning the love of the Father, "did God say?" The enemy always raises suspicion about the intent and love of the Father's love. Methodically he prepares his next victim for his own plans and renders the young victim helplessly dependent upon him.

Over the last 30 years I have seen believers who begin to doubt the Love of the Father, when this occurs they become open to lies and misconceptions about God and about themselves. Once Adam believed the "lie" he was trapped. In fact he thought that there was something wrong with him. After all he ate the apple and it didn't work. He did not seem to become "like God" in fact he felt worse than before. Since he believed Satan, (satan would never lie to him, he was truly his friend, it was God he couldn't trust) ... something must be wrong with him. It was his fault that the apple didn't work it's magic. He was a failure! He deserved to hid, to fear, to live this life of abuse.

We are living in a society that has perfected "abuse." We allow the culture around us to tell us that "if only you did this or that; had this or that" then you would be all you were meant to be. If only you would go ahead and experience the forbidden fruit you would know what God knows. That is spiraling completely out of control in our society.

I have seen the horrors of abuse! Abuse doesn't just happen to "one" but to the whole family unit. When Adam and Eve were deceived and abused by the father of lies it left the entire human family abused and confused and lost. There are very few people who does not know someone who has been abused. It affects us all. It is the disease of our generation.

The wrong or improper use of God's creation! It destroys the original purpose of that life.

I am truly believe that Jesus Christ came to "REDEEM, RESTORE AND RENEW"!

That renewal is the results of the ministry of Jesus that is made available to us through the Holy Spirit.

"The Spirit of the Lord us upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and the recovery of sight to the blind
To set at liberty those who are oppressed
To Proclaim the year of the Lord's Favor." (Luke 4:18,19)

There is a tremendous anointing that is available for "renewal." An Anointing that is very powerful to destroy the very limitations that have been placed on those who have been victimized by the enemy. That anointing is the results of a former victory. Satan abused the very Son of God to the uttermost. But Jesus triumphed over every aspect of that attack. Anointing, specific anointings, are given to those who have overcome in their own lives that which others are now needing deliverance from. Jesus overcame and destroyed the power of the abuser.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God....For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life, Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us."(2 Cor. 1:4,5,8-10).

I have had to recognized that God is desiring to work through my life to see the powers and the effects of abuse destroyed. There is an overcoming anointing that has been released upon our lives for the benefit of others. I am confident that if you have been the victim of abuse there is GREAT GRACE FOR RENEWAL.

GOD DESIRES TO MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. TO RESTORE TO ORIGINAL CONDITION.

Father, I pray for the person that has taken the time to read this and I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ that you release your anointing upon him or her right now and "make all things new." Break the lies that have held them hostage. Open their eyes to your love and mercy. Show them those who are around them that will minister truth and life to them. Protect them from condemnation and scorn. Holy Spirit fill and flood their lives with you Love. Father embrace them, hold them, protect them and set them free from those who would do them harm. In Jesus name I pray .... Amen!

The Art of Making Moments!

2010-07-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

Moment that burst with life are the gift of the Holy Spirit. Life's treasures are buried right under our noses. Discoveries are to be made in our every day life. Our problem is that we are less open to the unexpectedness of the everyday in our quest for the extraordinary and extreme. Life isn't somewhere else. Life is here--all around you and inside you, a succession of astonishments. True artists find meaning in the small wonders of life.

The art of Godly living is making every event a real do, making every moment count. Mark every moment good or bad. Landmark!

I know when I've had my best day and I know when I had my worst day.... landmark both of them. I know when I preached my best sermon and my worst.... believe me I have mark both of them. These are the memories of my life. I love making memories, "to mark" my life with those moments that give life purpose and meaning.

To make a memory moment is to "re-member". The word remember means both "to mark" and "to put together," as in putting together the members, or parts, of a body. In terms of our life, our soul, what do we mark and put together? Memories and stories. I we are not constantly recalling back to life meaningful memories and stories, our soul is being starved to death.

When I'm lonely or depressed a memory can turn my emotions around! When I am low on faith and hope, I make withdrawals from my memory bank that keep me going until my faith and hope crisis has ended.

Without "remembering" there can be no "renewal."

The "art of moment making" is the making of deposits in the first place, so that you can make withdrawals later.

So ... go make some deposits today!!!!

This Moment

2010-07-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

You have been given 525,600 minutes a year. Are those minutes a never-ending chain of meaningless moments or is each minute you live intensely and rapturously alive?

Some live lurching from moment to moment! Others live hanging on the spur of the moment. Some one day at a time. But some live "in the moment."

To live in the moment is to recognize a moment is such a way that you become aware of the gift of God that you are experiencing.
In fact to live in the moment is to live "in the Spirit." When a moment is energized by the Spirit it becomes whole, holy and eternal.
To live in the moment is to capture and frame those moments in such a way that for eternity the caption reads "God was here."

Living in the moment is an "art." I long to be a great artist who lives great moments for others to enjoy! And through that beauty be inspired to create their own art of "living in the moment."

This has become for me the essence of being "Spirit filled."

CHILDHOOD COOKIE

2010-06-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

I remember being about four years old when my grandmother would make these wonderful cookies that had a chocolate kiss right in the center (it was and still is my favorite cookie). She would make me one special one... larger than all the rest! I would go out into the front yard and take my time eating this special cookie. It could last up to an hour. I would take a small bite and look up at the Oklahoma sky. I would run my bare feet through the freshly cut grass and watch the big white clouds drift by and I would nibble a little more. I just enjoyed being there, the sky, the grass, the flowers all around and my cookie.

I was able to do that because I did not have much to worry about. I did not think of the future, I did not regret the past. I was entirely in the present moment, my cookie, my yard, my flowers and well everything was right.

It is possible to eat our meals as slowly and as joyfully as I ate that cookie of my childhood. Maybe you have the impression that you have lost the cookie of your childhood, but I am sure it is still there, somewhere in your heart. Everything is still there, and if you really want it, you can find it. Eating mindfully one of the most valuable practices of Christian living. We can eat in a way that we restore the cookie of our childhood. The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it again.

Now I am hungry, I've got to go get a cookie!

Prayer is LIFE!

2010-05-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

"The man who prays will accomplish more in a year than another in a lifetime." (Louis Lallemant)

If i have any effectiveness in my personal presence or in ministry it is anchored in prayer and Eucharist. Over the past two decades I have come to realize I am able to comfort and connect others only when I am comforted and connected to my inner self. This demands a certain disengagement from this world and giving of myself to the Lord. I am empowered to listen more attentively, love more selflessly, speak more passionately, play more enthusiastically, and laugh more sincerely.

Pray, which begins and ends with listening, silence is very precious in my life. It is silence that makes speech personal. I have come to recognize the value of mere being with God, as the Beloved, without doing anything. As Augustine said, "I am restless until I rest in thee."

My life is a love story. I know today that Christianity is an "affair" of the heart." The real treasures of my faith are those precious souvenirs of silence, those moments of loving encounters with the Bridegroom to whom I belong.

Fully Alive

2010-05-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Man is fully alive only when he has dedicated himself entirely to the real purpose of his own personal existence. Man is not alive just because he acts or feels or responds to the stimulus of the world in which he lives. The purpose of life in the fullest sense of the word--not mere individual, self-centered, egotistical life which is doomed, but a life that transcends the limitations and the needs of the individual self into the very Christ that is in us.

The Christ, the fullness of life is only realized in our communion not only with "Him" but in communion with each other. I've met very few Christians who would break communion with "HIM." However, there are very few Christians who understand that their communion with each other is "necessary" for the fullness of their life to be realized.

I heard someone say that they, "wanted to experience God outside of the community of faith." I wonder if my kidney can know life apart from the body?

Full life is actualized within the unity and the cohesive nature of the whole working as one. Thus, the real purpose of life is not merely an individual but rather a community purpose.

God united to man! Creator and creation united as one! The Incarnation, Jesus, the "body of Christ, the church" this family or community that is my purpose... ! This is life!

The Word

2010-05-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Word….by whom all things were made, in the fullness of time, to recapitulate and contain all things became man in order to destroy death, to manifest life, and to restore the union between God and man. ( Irenaeus )

Col. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col. 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col. 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;

Christ , The Word, existed before Adam, before creation, before the foundation of the world. Creation is then not a pre-established reality into which Christ did His best to fit into. He came to reveal to the world that all things were created by Him and are sustained by Him. He has and always will be the very center of life and the meaning of all things.

In his natural life every man is created in the image of God , thus every man is made by and sustained by the Word. In every human being there is the potentiality of the very “image of God.” In some way every human being is united too God by his very created order.

However, there exists the possibility for a supernatural union with God. Through the very work of the Grace and Love of Christ man is able to respond to His Love and become aware of the Presence of the One from whom he has come and to Whom he is being transformed to reveal.

All of the gifts and graces of this supernatural life are the ways and means by which the “new creation” is connected and “re-membered” to this resurrected “body of Christ.” Just as every natural human being is a part of the human race. Every “new creation,” those who are born from above are to be united with this new “race” of human beings who are filled with the fullness of Christ.

Having therefore received redemption, the divine Image not only dwells in us as our Creator, but He sends forth His Holy Spirit into our own spirit which becomes “one spirit” with Him. This supernatural and spiritual organism of men who are one in the love and faith of Jesus Christ is the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. (Merton – new man, p146.)

The whole life of the Kingdom of God consists then in the gradual extension of the spiritual effects of the death and resurrection of Jesus to one soul after another until Christ lives perfectly in all whom He has called to Himself.

This is the great work of uniting souls of the elect with their Head in one Mystical Body is the true task of the New Adam. (p 96).

We are in the world as those who are “Christ-bearers.” We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are being built into the house-hold of God.

And yet today the church remains divided by the rational, emotional, judgmental nuances of the first Adam. Unable to die, to self, the first Adam struggles against the Second Adam and resists the transformation of his soul. This individual struggle continues to be the greatest resistance to the revelation of the Christ.

Christians, those who know of the love and grace of God and yet resist “union,” actually become barriers to the fulfillment of the Father’s will.

Each one of us has his or her part in this plan for humanity. We cannot allow ourselves to forget this active and dynamic view of the Kingdom of Christ. For if we are all “one man in Him,” that does not mean that we float into heaven on the tide of His merits alone. On the contrary, we are called to join Him in His “agony” (struggle) to unite His members in one Body so that the New Adam, New Creation, might be realized. If Christ is the Head then there must be members of that body for it to be complete.

We are united to God in our natural life because we are created in His image. We are supernaturally united to God through the grace, mercy and love of the Christ who came into our humanity to redeem us and to re-orientated us Himself. And finally we are united mystically to God, to one another in and through the “Body of Christ, the Church.”

My heart longs for the very revealing of My Lord and My Christ!!!! I so long to see the first Adam give way to the Second. To see the manifestation of the Christ through His “body.”

To see every Christian not merely receive the love and grace of the Father in vain and wait for their individual entrance into heaven; but to join with one another in love. To use their gifts and graces to unite all those who are called into the Family. This is the work of Christ. It is the work of every Christian. It is your work, your meaning, your very life!

LOVE THAT MOVES THE SUN AND STARS

2010-03-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Dante said that man has lost a vision of that "love which moves the sun and stars." He continues to say that due to that man as also lost the power to find meaning for his life. Man has found the ability to do nearly or almost anything and yet the very meaning of his existence continues to elude him. Humanity has plunged into a collective delusion which promises happiness in the future, if he can somehow learn to manipulate the world around him to give him the success (desires) that he has subjectively determined he needs. In short the world exists for his pleasure! Thus the meaning of life is the fulfillment of his own desires.

When the truth is that man's greatest meaning is found in his capacity to love. This ability that is unique to the human soul is the essence of God's image that is stamped into the very DNA of every human being. We were created and called to be the very sons of God. Therefore our vocations as sons of God means that our greatest meaning and highest fulfillment it to love as God Himself loves. He is Love, and it is as loving as He loves that we enter into the the ecstasy of our own existence and find the true meaning of our lives.

To understand and grasp the reality of our being will reorientate us towards our original calling to govern and to cultivate the world that God created and gave to us. Through loving, not using creation for our own means, we will discover that love is not merely our salvation, but also the very key to our existence. The truth is that our entire life is a part of the cosmic, divine process of "the love which moves the sun and stars."

Intoxicated by His Life!

2010-02-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

The most paradoxical and most unique characteristic of Christianity is that of the resurrection of Christ. In fact, Christianity without this claim is only a moral system without too much spiritual consistency. Unless ALL of Christianity is centered in the victorious, life, and ever present reality of Jesus Christ, the Man-God who conqueror of death, it loses it's distinction.

Thus, Christianity proclaims to us that in order to find life we must die to life as we know it. To discover the meaning of human existence we must find not the meaning that we expect but the meaning that is revealed to us by the Father through Christ. Meaning is not something that we can find within ourselves, for we are so insufficient. True life and it's meaning must be revealed or in other words received as a "gift." The very fact that life is a gift makes is valuable; for life itself is, in the end only valuable in so far as it is given.

Christian life, the God-kind of life, in the fullest sense of the word -- is not mere individual, self-centered, egotistical life which ends in death, but real life transcending individual limitations and needs, because it comes from beyond "the self," and exists due to the existence of "another."

In the resurrection we see that life was given through the death of self. That life is received into our lives. This life revealed in death brings about both our death and our birth into a life that is eternal, abundant and thus beyond our own individuality. A life that is because it is no longer concerned with self.

Real life, is not merely a subsistence in one's own self, nor self-assertion or self-gratification. Real life is freedom that transcends the self and exists in "the other" by love. A love that is the result of having receive "the gift" of life. This is "freedom," a freedom that comes only from "losing its life in order to find it." The perfection of this life is love. A Christian believes that this love has the power to overcome death.

As we move towards "Easter," my spirit is drawn once again into the vastness of this love. This love brings about a darkness that covers and hides all else but the "One" who loves me. In some ways I am intoxicated with the essence of His Presence. The world loses it's hold and the Holy Spirit lifts me out of the grip of this world into the embrace of the "other."

Lent, then is more about "receiving" that giving up. Rather than focus on what one might surrender I sense with every breath that I am receiving far more than I have ever given.

God's Acceptance

2010-02-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

One day I realized that I had been trying for a very long time to be the kind of person that I thought God wanted me to be, but I had failed, over and over, to be that person. I was sure that God was ashamed of me, of my faults and of my weaknesses. I knew that I was ashamed of myself.

The person that I saw in the reflection was flawed, imperfect, and had fallen short of God's expectation as well as my own. So I stayed away from prayer, silence and solitude, instead I kept myself busy, hoping to overcome my feelings of failure through doing good works.

How, did I get to this place? Well, it was the result of being exposed to messages of condemnation and guilt. It was that underlying sense that one had to become something in order to maintain God's relationship. No one had really ever fully explained the message, the story really of God's love for us, how He longs and searches after us and longs for us to be united with Him in His Love. I had heard little pieces but it was never enough to flood my heart.

Like many of you I lived within the belief that God really didn't like me! Somehow, he tolerated me, hoping that I would improve somehow. I developed this unhealthy idea of God. This idea that God was disappointed with me, even angry.

But that day, somewhere from deep within, something shattered.... I had come helplessly, and hopelessly to the end of all my attempts to please. I will never forget I was looking in the mirror that morning.... and He smiled. That's right, God smiled... at me! He was not frowning, but smiling!

Num. 6:25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

His face, is the face of Love! Unconditional, absolute, never ending, first love... I can live, I do live, in the face of that Love.

I still fall short of being all that I want to be for "Abba," but when I look in His face He is still my "Abba, Father." He still loves, accepts, forgives and cares for me, His child.

That day, changed and continues to change my life..... Look to Him!

De-stress in a Stressed out world!

2010-02-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

STRESS:
1 : constraining force or influence: as a : a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part; especially : the intensity of this mutual force commonly expressed in pounds per square inch b : the deformation caused in a body by such a force c : a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation d : a state resulting from a stress; especially : one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium e : strain, pressure  2 : emphasis, weight  3 archaic : intense effort or exertion 4 : intensity of utterance given to a speech sound, syllable, or word producing relative loudness 5 a : relative force or prominence of sound in verse b : a syllable having relative force or prominence 6 : accent 6a

Stress is what happens to you when the demands of daily challenges of the outside world are greater than our ability to cope with them.

However stress can also be related to internal factors as well – factors that include how healthy we are, our emotional well-being, what we eat, and how much sleep we are getting.

It’s also strongly dependent on how we interpret what comes our way – that is how we perceive what is happening to us.

People are becoming more and more frenzied! Symptoms of stress are being seen at younger and younger ages. Doctors are describing stress-induced illnesses more and more frequently.

I hear this more and more; “I’m not sleeping, I’m exhausted, I have no energy….” People are plagued with “anxiety, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and withdrawal from life.”

“I’m Stress Out.”

There seems to be a cultural condition that is emerging within our society.

It resembles “post traumatic stress disorder” or PTSD. This disorder usually stems from a catastrophic event – combat, rape, a deadly accident, or a major illness – that leaves its victim in a persistently highly anxious state that leads to disengagement from life, sleep disorders, and substance abuse habits.

Occasionally, PTSD sufferers re-experience the traumatic event or events.

I have come to realize that many people around me; “are living with extreme stress for so long that they do not realize they are stressed.” Layers and layers of stress have weighted on them in increments so small that they don’t eve feel them separately. Stress has become the new “normal.”

This is more than “chronic stress” this “over the top, maxed out, extreme-stress.” Just like “extreme sports” this stressed-out living has become a way of life for many people.

The difficulty is that we were not made to live under this type of stress. It will have devastating effects upon our health and our society.

In the last half of the 20th-century a large majority of our health issues were related to cigarette smoking. In the early years of the 21st-century a large number of our health issues are being connected to fat and obesity. In both cases we see and all-out blitz to get people to change their habits.

Both smoking and obesity can be easily diagnosed, when you see it you know it. However, stress has no face, and yet it is just as deadly as the other two.

Any doctor –will tell you the same thing, if you are continually stressed and you don’t deal with it: it can kill you.

Cell phones, hand-held computers, twittering… we are on call and open to intrusion 24/7. 40% of teens said they could not live without their cell phones, and yet the same study reported that after 3 days of being without the cell phone these teens were less stressed, had lower heart rates and blood pressure.

Today “noise pollution” is everywhere. The blasting music in the car next to you, trying to have a quiet lunch while the person next to you is arguing with her boyfriend on her cell phone, the whole world has become a “phone booth.”

We are being blitzed with sensory stimulation every where we turn, our nervous systems are continually aroused to sight and sound. Stepped-up commercial volume, MTV videos, are ever reaching for our attention.

TV’s are everywhere, the coffee shop, airport, taxicabs, dentist’s office waiting room, it goes on and on.

Then there are computers, facebook, twitter, etc….

Our food sources have changed.
Our sleep habits are being eroded.
Our job satisfaction is being erased.

I went to get a sandwich the other day the young lady took my order, made my sandwhich, put it in the bag, took my money, handed me the bag, gave me change and never looked up.

We are deluding ourselves; we can not indefinitely endure the MACRO STRESSES that accompany; impersonal encounters, less sleep, more work, less leisure, bad marriages’ less exercise, junk food, hyper-caffeinated sugar-saturated drinks, screen-junkies, traffic jams, flight delays and so much more and come away healthy…..

We as a species can handle short-term stress and to some degree some fairly long term stress, but all stress, all the time was not the way we were designed.

Stress has become the new “pandemic.” It is a deadly health crisis.

“Extreme – Macro – Stress”

Anything that triggers stress is called a “stressor.” There are several easily recognized stressors:

1) Environmental
a. Such as noise pollution, or living in a crime-ridden neighborhood where you never feel safe.

2) Occupational
a. Dissatifaction, overwork, disagreements, low pay, nasty co-workers.

3) Relational
a. Fight with a friend, problems with partners, children, loss of spouse

4) Social
a. Trying to keep up with joneses

5) Spiritual
a. Lost of purpose in life, loss of community, loss of control, loss of meaning…

However, FEAR, is one of the all time greatest stressors; fear of failure, not having enough, not being enough, losing what you have, fear of success. These fears are very real to those who are experiencing them.

There is a huge difference between “acute” and “chronic” stress.

Acute is what moves you out of the way of a moving car. When you climb a set of stairs the extra effort for your heart and legs produces stress what is called a “allostasis” release.

However, the journey from “allostasis” to “allostatic load” often destabilizes our lives.

1) When multiple stressors lead to elevated stress hormones that continue over a long period of time.
2) When you can’t seem to adapt to a stressor even though it repeats itself again and again. (public speaking)
3) When your body turns on the stress hormones and doesn’t turn them off after the stressor has gone. (keep replaying the event in your own mind over and over)

Our society has increased chronic stressors to assault proportions and we are left dealing with the fall out.

Rather than a gnat that is flying around our heads we have a bull horn going off in our ears.

This accumulated chronic stress is what I am referring to as: EXTREME-MACRO-STRESS!

Anxiety is the new normal!

Now what?

1) Choose to Change
a. You can change in an ACTIVE way by finding tools that work for you.
b. You can also change the way you PERCEIVE the challenges you are faced with.

2) Commit to doing what it takes to change.
a. Just as you became “EXTREMELY STRESSED” through a series of small hits, you can reverse the process by taking a series of small steps toward wellness.
b. Change one little thing—and in a week, you’ll notice a difference in the way you feel. You’ll have the courage then to take the next, bigger step.

3) Admit that you may encounter some unpleasant things along the way.
a. Not every decision we have made, (choices) were conscious rational ones. Sometimes there are underlying subconscious reasons that cause us to chose or make decisions.
b. Sometimes revisiting the choices we’ve made can be painful, but necessary.

4) Trust that you will get to a better place.
a. Faith!

HOW DOES CHANGE OCCUR?

First of all lots of people want to change, they have tried, and tried and tried. The issue is not whether or not we want to change or if we have tried or not. But the real issue is “training.”

TRANSFORMATION HAPPENS THROUGH TRAINING OF THE SOUL.

First of all there is a false narrative that change happens due to “willpower.”

Truthfully, change does not happen because we muster up the “willpower” but it happens by “changing our mind.”

I believe there is a reliable method to changing our hearts:
1) changing the stories we tell ourselves in our mind
2) engaging in new practices (disciplines)
3) by reflecting and dialoguing with other who are on the same journey (community)
4) all under the leadership under the Holy Spirit

TRANSFORMATION: THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Gal. 5:22 ¶ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal. 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

We will never become patient because we grit our teeth … Like the fruit on a tree it comes from the inside out…

When the Holy Spirit has changed or corrected our stories we will begin to think differently….

“What we think about God is the most important thing in our lives”

As a result we begin to believe in and trust a good and loving God who has adopted us.

The Journey to Joy!

This is the first secret to overcoming “extreme-stress”!

Neh. 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
John 16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
John 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

JOY 1 a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

DELIGHT 1 : a high degree of gratification : joy; also : extreme satisfaction 2 : something that gives great pleasure

Psa. 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Science of the West has lead us to believe in this split between mind and body. It is commonly known as the Cartesian split.

Joy is the very source of our strength and it must come into our Spirit.

Gal. 5:22 ¶ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal. 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Joy…. Is not based on “happenstance” but the knowing of ones “connectedness” to The Father.

John 15:9 ¶ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
John 15:11 ¶ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED…. PRODUCES JOY!
THIS IS A SPIRITUAL – INNER REALITY THAT HAS A PHYSCIAL EFFECT ON YOU….

“placebo effect” during WWII Dr. Beecher ran out of narcotics to give to his patients so he substituted, sugar and water, 35% got better.

The power of suggestion.

The Mind…. What you think has an effect on your body.

Change the state of your mind… your thinking and you will have different feelings!

Prov. 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

3John 2 ¶ Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

YOUR SOUL WILL PROSPER WHEN IT KNOWS IT IS LOVED.

However our ability to know and comprehend is diminished with the lost of sleep.The number one enemy of Christian spiritual formation or transformation is exhaustion. We are living beyond our own ability… or means!

More people are killed every year by drowsy drivers than drunk drivers.

We are “sleepy.”

We need more ‘REST’!

What does this have to do with Christian Spirituality? Or Extreme Stress?

The human person is not merely a soul who is housed in a body. Our bodies and our souls are unified. If our bodies suffer, so do our souls. We cannot neglect the body in pursuit of spiritual growth. In fact, neglecting our bodies will impede our spiritual health and growth. If our bodies are not sufficiently rested, our energies, will be diminished and our ability to pray, read, enter into solitude will be minimized.

Rom. 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom. 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

SLEEP IS AN ACT OF SURRENDER! IT IS A DECLARATION OF TRUST. IT IS ADMITTING THAT WE ARE NOT GOD WHO NEVER SLEEPS NOR SLUMBERS.

THE DISCIPLINE OF SLEEP!!!!
1) Go to sleep at a consistent time every night
2) Don’t engage in activities that increase stress right before bedtime. (TV, or Computer)
3) Be careful with stimulants (caffeine, spicy foods) in the evening.
4) Do not force yourself to sleep… read, mediate, music, etc
5) If you awaken in the middle of the night, you do not have to get up immediately …. Give your body a chance to go back to sleep.

STRESS – RELAX:

Psa. 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

(read the entire psalm)

RELAXATION:

RELAX:
1 : to make less tense or rigid : slacken  2 : to make less severe or stringent : modify  3 : to deprive of energy, zeal, or strength of purpose 4 : to relieve from nervous tension 5 : to treat (hair) chemically in order to relax curls
intransitive verb
1 : to become lax, weak, or loose : rest 2 : to become less intense or severe  3 of a muscle or muscle fiber : to become inactive and lengthen 4 : to cast off social restraint, nervous tension, or anxiety  5 : to seek rest or recreation

Dr. Benson of Harvard; through the simple act of changing thought patterns heart and blood pressure rates dropped. “Relaxation Response”

Extreme-Macro-Stressed People ; state they never believe they’re good enough, always trying to reach a destination…. Thus they are exhausted.

USE SOME TOOLS….

Through the day… stress will arise! It will increase! So determine in advance how you might be able to manage stress.

1) Do you know how it feels to Relax? To Rest?
a. Your subconscious mind will remember
b. It will be triggered

2) 12 minutes of mediation a day for 8 weeks has proven to have great results.

Psa. 1:1 ¶ Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
Psa. 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psa. 1:3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Phil. 4:8 ¶ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

1Tim. 4:15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

intransitive verb
1 : to engage in contemplation or reflection 2 : to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
transitive verb
1 : to focus one's thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over 2 : to plan or project in the mind : intend, purpose

TO CHOSE ONE’S THOUGHTS…. INTENTIONALLY FOCUS ON WHAT ONE THINKS….

THIS IS “SOUL TRAINING” = “MEDITATION”

Col. 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

1) It probably won’t be very deep the first few times
2) Don’t get hung up on having enough time
3) Don’t worry about getting it wrong

GET SOME GOOD AFFIRMATION TO SAY TO YOURSELF

FOCUS ON BREATHING

SOME HINTS:

1) A quiet place and sit comfortably.
2) Progressively relax your muscles
3) Think about one of God’s virtues, love, joy, etc.
4) Breathe
5) Let His Peace fill you on the inside

FINALLY:

PLAY…. Get outside your daily routine and see things from a different perspective.
a. go for a walk
b. give a friend a call
c. write a quick note

Prayer and Fasting

2010-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

We as a community of faith have started our 21 day journey of fasting and prayer. I thought I would try to write something every day that would help us on our journey….

First of all let me say again, there is no real formula.... don't make this journey legalistic.... but rather relational. How might you restructure your life to make more room for God's Presence?

Today’s reading was awesome:

“While he live on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because He honored God, God answered him.” Hebrews 5:7 MSG.

Jesus prayed…. So today …. Let us pray with Him. ….

Prayer is a lifestyle of emptying ourselves of all false beliefs, and becoming free to belong only to God.

That is why along with the desire to pray comes an intense resistance as well. We each want to draw closer to God, but we also realize that the closer we get to God the more we will have to relinquish control.

Prayer is a radical action of laying down our old selves and accepting our new self in Christ.

“I live now not with my own life, but with the life of Christ who lives in me…” Galatians 2:20

E. Stanley Jones said:
Prayer is fundamentally and essentially self-surrender… it is getting self out of the way.

Prayer is the wire surrendering to the dynamo…
The flower surrendering to the sun…
The child surrendering to education…
The patient surrendering to the surgeon…
The part surrendering to the whole…
--Prayer is life surrendering to the LIFE….

Prayer is so much more than pleading with God to do something for us. Prayer is the way and means by which we communion with absolute light, love and life.

Prayer brings us into union with God. Our union with Him results in less of us and more of Him.

To pray is to open your heart and life to God. To undress and become wholly transparent before your heavenly parent, who alone can give us life.

Prayer is not just an appointment in your daily schedule. It is not a source of support when you are in need. Prayer is to possess every aspect of our lives.

JESUS TRAINED HIS DISCIPLES IN ONE THING:
RECEPTIVITY….

Acts 1:14 they waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:4 God Answered

The entire book of Acts tells the stories, of how these men who lived under guidance and power of the Spirit. We are to be people who have been united with the Holy Spirit and now live under His influence. The issue at hand is our own receptivity of the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

Prayer and fasting helps position our soul and spirits to be receptive to His Presence.

WISE MEN STILL WORSHIP

2009-12-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:1-2)

The World was too busy to notice the birth of this child. There was no room found for Him in the Inn. And no room in the hearts of men. The angels had announced His birth, the shepherds had bowed before Him and the two intercessors had confirmed His identity and yet Israel did not know this King.

Two years would pass before these Wise Men of the East would come searching for this child. Into an occupied country three princes came looking for the real king. These Arabs of the East seem to be more aware of the coming of the King than Israel. They explained that a star has guided them to this place. Today most Christians would dismiss them as simply too "new agey" or "weird." And yet here they are very close to the Christ.

I think that they were astounded to find Jerusalem so complacent. I think they believe they would find people worshiping the Christ. However, they were not deterred by the indifference of the people, they simply started going door to door. Like the Lover of the Song of Solomon they began to ask "have you seen him whom my soul loves?"

These men were more in tune to the fact that God had promised a Christ, than the believers or the religious leaders of that time.

"WISE MEN SEEK TO WORSHIP THE CHRSIT"

We now live in a world where worship is no longer considered a need in our lives. You can if you want but you don't have or need too. You can be a believer and not worship. Perhaps that is because our society has lost a sense of value of the Christ.

Once people lose a sense of the value of the Christ it follows that worship is diminished in our society. I was praying this morning and I realized that "WISE MEN STILL WORSHIP THE KING."

Worship -- why participate in it?

2009-12-16T07:54:00.001-08:00

I looked across the top of my bookshelves at home and took inventory of several pieces of, well things, things that my children made me either in school, vacation bible school, or children's church. Things that in themselves have very little value compared to other things that are in my office, and yet my heart was overwhelmed with emotion as I held each piece with great appreciation. Why?

If you are a father, do you not like receiving tiny gifts from your children, even if you don't know what to use the piece of clay pottery for? Why do you value it more than a pen from your insurance agent or a gift from a friend? If you are a mother, does not your heart find a greater joy in a handful of yellow dandelions from your little daughter, than in a bouquet of roses from a dinner guest?

Do these trivialities make you richer? Do you need them? Would you be imperfect without them? Yet you love them. Why? Because your children are "worshiping" you; because they are acknowledging your love, your goodness, and by doing so they are perfecting themselves--that is, developing along the lines of love rather than hate, thankfulness rather than ingratitude, and service rather than disloyalty. They are becoming more perfect and more happy children.

Just as you do not need more dandelions or hand made childhood pottery, neither does God need your worship. If their giving is a sign of your worth in your children's eyes, then, are not prayer, adoration, and worship a sign of God's worth in our eyes? If you need your children's worship, why do you think God needs yours? If their worship is for their perfection, not yours, then may not your worship of Him be not for His perfection, but yours? Worship is your opportunity to express devotion, dependence, and love, and in doing that you make yourself happy? Full of Joy!

Are You Too Familiar to Worship???

2009-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

G.K. Chesterton said, "The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of familiarity."

Familiarity is then the death of respect, wonder and awe! When our hearts and minds are no longer poised for surprise and astonishment... we have lost our sense of child-like faith, without which we can no longer worship. Or for that matter perhaps that is why some never worship.

The illusion that we can control our lives and our destinies has led humanity to turn away from the very "mystery," of knowing Him who formed us in His likeness and image.

I am expecting to be amazed by His "appearing." He came to earth as a child, He comes to us as Spirit and He will come again in great Power. And I know that He has promised us that He manifest Himself to those who gather in His Name to worship and adore Him.

I realize that much of the western church has reduced Him to a law to be obeyed, when in fact He is a Presence to be embraced. And that Presence is manifested by the union and unity of His People who are focused on being "grateful."

Familiarity.... thanks Him for granted. God forgive us!

Church who needs it?

2009-12-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

It seems that most Christians think that the Christian faith is something that a person does alone, like monks in a cave. They believe that the backbone of the faith is time alone with God, reading and praying or meditating on some special text. Or simply being good when others are not, or at least they are not as bad as some. If you go into the faith section of any bookstore it certainly appears that faith is something that you do alone. It appears to be a private, personal journey of self-improvement and behavioral modification. This mindset is a symptom of our societies love affair with individualism and compartmentalization of our lives.

A few days ago I was cruising through the social clubs of the digital/technological society in which we live (facebook, twitter, emails, texting, etc.) when I stumbled across this conversation-taking place in the corner of the smoke filled club of this digital world. It began with a one liner (just another pick-up artist).

“My faith is private, (he starts slowly) I don’t need other people’s help to realize my faith.”

In no short order “like this” filled the room (hear the applause?) It wasn’t long before he had gathered an entire entourage of eager listeners. “That’s right, who needs Christians?” “I don’t like organizational religion.” “They are all hypocrites, (now who’s judging?).” Oh, by now I’m leaning into this conversation with open ears, I knew what was coming, keep listening……

“Yeah, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, you don’t really need any of that, in fact, this is more real than that.”

I leaned back into my chair and wondered how the “Christ” who came from heaven to earth to be with us would respond to this conversation. “Immanuel” – “God with us,” (no me, alone, but “us”).

Christianity or shall we say, “those who follow Christ,” are people who have been adopted into the very family of “Abba Father.” His family is called “church.” Contrary to the popular conversations in the digital clubs of our time, “The Faith,” the Christian faith is a very public, very communal reality, which is realized not as an individual who is left alone, but who is gathered into this family to be nurtured and matured in this new family.

As I write this I’m looking at a picture of my new Granddaughter, and I am flooded with the urge to drive three hours just to hold her. You see, her parents did not bring her into this world and then set her out on her own and hope that she could discover how to live on her own.

I am so grateful that when I was spiritually born they did not set me out on my own, but rather brought me “home.” His House, His Family, “the church” is the very community that has loved, and nurtured “the faith, the very life,” that Christ came to give me.

And now, now that perhaps I don’t need as much as I did as a child (although I think we are always children) I realize that I am called to nurture others. Grandpa may not be needed every day, but he is needed. So I remain in the family, not necessarily because of my need, but because of the needs of others. We are supposed to have realized that “it’s not all about me,” that we are here for others.

Maybe you don’t need church, family or community, maybe you think that your faith is “private,” but that is the paradox of Christianity, it is personal but it is never just yours. You see if you have received “the faith” it requires, no, it pushes you to share that “love,” that “faith” with others. Just maybe someone needs you, (or least what you have) and perhaps that is the real value of your existence.

Christmas – is the celebration of how God gave His Son to us! Maybe we ought to consider giving ourselves?

So I leaned away… away from the conversation of the social clubs of our day!

Authentic Discipleship

2009-10-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther said:

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. He who goes on his way thinking that he has faith and has completely mastered its meaning is in a more dangerous condition than he who knows nothing whatever about it. Why? Because he who knows nothing whatever about it may come to his senses and say: ‘You have never heard this doctrine nor known anything about it. my friend, listen to it and see what it really is’ . . . Then it may happen that he understands it well. The former, however, is hindered by his conceit. He imagines he has already grasped the matter and thoroughly knows it. And so he goes on his way, considers himself well informed, and pays little attention to the subject.”7

There are many Christians who have a “little knowledge.” They have received the inoculation or the vaccine if you will of real faith. Many times this keeps some one from truly getting “Jesus.”

A. W. Tozer says, “What we think about God is the most important thing in our lives.”

To be “in-formed” is not the same as being “re-formed.” Information about God is not enough. Only as we come into association with others who are walking with Him can there be a true “transformation.”

Jesus called His disciples to “follow me.” It was in that association with and that imitation of that they were changed; re-formed into His image and likeness; which is our original state of being.

1Cor. 4:16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
1Cor. 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Heb. 6:12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Paul was continually calling others to “imitate” him as he did Christ. The pattern of discipleship is not difficult …. but it is time consuming. A disciple is not an “instant” event or decision. No it is a way of living. Living a life after Jesus.

The “church” that Jesus founded followed this pattern. Seeker, Hearer, Kneeler and Faithful…. People were “transformed” or “re-formed” by coming into “fellowship” with others we knew Christ and could assist them in “becoming” like Christ.

The church of the last several hundred years has so “individualized” Christianity that it has forgotten that God called us into a “family.” He sent the “spirit of adoption” into our hearts. And it is through the “family” that we come to understand and know who “He” truly is and who “we”truly are.

Evangelism – conversion is so much more than gaining a “little information” about Jesus; it is coming into the living reality of being changed so that “as He is so are we in this world,” (1 John 4:17).
“Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ” (Detrick Bonhoeffer).

Authentic Christianity demands that we “make disciples.” For far too long we have thought that “decisions” to believe were enough. That line of thinking has left us with an anemic church. A church that has spiritual amnesia and who has settled to be far less than she truly was designed to be.

Dallas Willard says, “So far as the visible Christian institutions of our day are concerned, discipleship clearly is optional… Churches are therefore filled with “undiscipled disciples. Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.”

I am dedicated to raising up people who are fully dedicated to “following” Jesus! This requires our ability to critically analyze the processes and the perceptions that we have followed in our own journeys to Jesus and to recover “truths” that have been lost.
I began this posting by quoting Martin Luther; “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. He who goes on his way thinking that he has faith and has completely mastered its meaning is in a more dangerous condition than he who knows nothing whatever about it.”

I will finish this posting by quoting Paul, “Phil. 3:12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (NLB)

We should never make the mistake of thinking that “we have arrived” or that “we have achieved” something. We are all still on a “journey to Jesus.” Dr. Webbers book is a very good tool to help us understand the pattern that Jesus and His first disciples used to make the “journey.”

Discipleship is a journey! A journey of becoming like Jesus!
Enjoy the journey!

Bishop Quintin

THAT THEY MAY BE ONE

2009-10-02T11:21:00.001-07:00

At the last supper, Jesus told his apostles about the one characteristic that would distinguish his believers in the world: "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Above everything else, Jesus wanted his people to be known for their agape love--a love that conquers hatred and bigotry, a love that overcomes division and judgments. This is a love that unites, a love that brings people together in a union of trust, respect, and affection (see Acts 2:44-45: Galatians 3:26-28).

A Legacy of Separation!

Yet, as we look at the sweep of history, it seems that Christians have given a far different witness than the one Jesus asked for -- particularly in this past millennium. In 1054, the Eastern Church of Constantinople and the Western Church of Rome had become so estranged that these two fountains of faith and blessing separated themselves from each other. As time progressed, this spirit of division spread, ultimately manifesting itself in numerous sub-divisions that resulted from the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. While doctrinal and moral issues played a significant role in these separations, they seem to have been fueled just as much by political agendas, ethnic prejudices, and personal hatred. It was not uncommon, in fact, to see these sparks of bitterness explode into violence and bloodshed.

We may not recognize it too often, but we have all inherited the legacy of centuries of separation and rancor. This is especially true for those of us who grew up in the last half of the twentieth century. Many Roman catholics were taught that protestants could not be saved, and protestants grew up believing that catholics were guilty of idolatry and apostasy. However, the greatest enemy of Christian unity today may be apathy in a time of extraordinary grace and favor from the Lord. All through out this last number of years, God has been pouring out powerful gifts of healing and reconciliation. In the past fifty years in particular, Christians from every background have come together in unprecedented numbers to pray, worship the Lord, seek each others' forgiveness, and work together for the spread of the gospel.

As we encounter God's presence through prayer and worship, we can take comfort in the knowledge that we all have the same heavenly Father. We can rejoice that we are forgiven by the same blood of Christ, shed for all people. As we join our separated brothers and sisters in worship of our Lord Jesus, we will recognize the great deposit of faith that binds us together. Prayer....enables us always to discover anew the evangelical truth of the words: "You have one Father" (Matthew 23:9), the Father, Abba, invoked by Christ himself the Only-begotten...Son. And again: "You have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters" (Matthew 23:8).

Let us all take advantage of the marvelous grace that God is pouring out on his church in our day. He is working powerfully to heal all the divisions and animosity that the past one thousand years have brought. Let us all seek deeper conversion to his gospel--a closer relationship with Jesus, through prayer and worship, and a greater love for all our brothers and sisters. Let us answer the call to pray, to repent and to forgive.

IT IS TIME FOR FREEDOM

2009-09-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have been watching the events of the last few months with great interest. Several years ago a good friend of mine, Vivian Hibbert, encouraged me to pay attention to what God was doing outside the church, particularly in the arts. And maybe with artists, so lets take notice of a few things.

First, Whitney Houston has stepped forward telling how God delivered her from a long abusive situation. Second, I am intrigued with McKenzie Phillips new book telling about her long-time abusive relationship. And finally, Kaycee Dungard, is found after 18 years of being held captive in an abusive situation.

I remember how the Lord spoke to me over a year ago these words:

Breakthrough - May 11, 2008

“My perception is that spiritual authority is going to increase in the next 6-12 weeks. The thing that I am seeing is that you are going to be given the power and authority to break and destroy the limitations and strongholds that you have been dealing with in your lives for years. You are going to go free from those limitations in areas of your life that you have been merely coping with because you couldn’t get rid of it. There is going be such an experience of freedom in the lives of individuals and families that strongholds will be broken off of people’s lives. Listen to me, it is happening to you. You need to exercise it. The authority is coming up into your life, but you need to be the one who exercises it and says, “I am going free of that.” And when you go free of it, you’ve got to hate that thing. Those things that were strongholds in my life before, I hate them now. You cannot go back and play with them…. If you have strongholds, thought patterns, limitations, habits, particularly low self-esteem; particularly you don’t think you are worthy, you’re insecure…that is going to be destroyed, because low self-esteem is the Enemy robbing you of the potential in your life. If the Enemy can keep you thinking you don’t matter, you don’t count, nobody loves you or likes you, if He can keep you there he can keep your gifts from coming out. Those strongholds are coming down, that is coming off, and you’re going to come out of that thing and go, yes go into the freedom that He has purchased for you.”

I truly believe that God is releasing people from strongholds that have been extreme. Now is the time for the Church to arise and to set people free. Jesus defeated the enemy and He has entrusted the Church with the authority to set people free in His name. Unfortunately the church has been lulled asleep. It is time for her to wake up and to operate in the authority that she has been given.

It is time for many to realize that they can go free right now. A few days ago I ran across this: "We remain captives within a mental framework that has actually been broken. We are like prisoners who could walk out of a prison because all that would enclose us has been burst open, but we remain inside because we are asleep...it is time to wake up.

RE-VISION THE CHURCH

2009-09-24T07:48:00.001-07:00

Failing to understand the nature of the church can lead to a number of problems. Defining the church functionally -- in terms of what it does -- can shift our perspective away from understanding the church as a unique community of God's people. In place of this, the church tends to become a series of ministry functions such as worship, education, service, children, youth, etc. Defining the church organizationally -- in terms of its structures -- shifts our mind away from the spiritual reality of the church as a community, a family, the body of the Christ, the very presence of God on earth.

In most cases the church has become something to be structured and managed. Thus ministry is to be administrated and managed to maintain effectiveness, in order to accomplish certain goals. This seduces leaders into placing too much confidence in their managerial skills or in their us of organizational techniques. Thus church leaders are always looking for the "next" key to success.

It is my conviction that we need to move beyond trying to find the "next" church "thing" that will help us be successful one more time. We truly need to rediscover what is more basic about what it means to be the "church." It is critical that we recover the nature of the church before we understand what the church is do be doing.

We must face the very way we think about "Church." The critical question is what is the church?

The church is more than what meets the eye. It is more than a set of well-managed ministry functions. It is more than another human organization! The church lives in the world as a human enterprise, but it is also the called and redeemed people of God. It the people of God who are created by the Holy Spirit to live as a missionary community here on the earth.

The church is God's personal presence in the world through the Spirit! This makes the church a unique spiritual community. The very family of God who by it's presence give witness to the origin and future of God's people.

The Church's true character is its embodiment of Christ’s mission by its very existence in the world, it witnesses to the mission of God, to overthrow evil and to the ultimate reign of God over the entire created order. This is the eschatological nature of the church. It is the presence of a Good God now revealed, it is the very future of God’s Kingdom; in a world hostile to its message and values.

The early Christians saw themselves as participants in a grand drama, …..those gathered from all nations to testify to the resurrected Lord. Without the church the world literally had no HOPE OF SALVATION since the church is necessary for the world to know it is part of a story that it cannot know without the Church.

The Church is the adopted people bought by His blood, united to Him and to each other …. Whose lives have been changed and communities that have been transformed by God’s presence among them.

The church is an inviting and compelling community of people who attract unchurched because they embody a new life under the reign of Christ and informed by their eschatological (prophetic) vision.

Our personal journey into Christ therefore is nourished by the community called “church” which God has been sent and set as a divine presence to proclaim the unltimate destiny of the world…

Without the church the world would have no idea of it’s destiny!

To come to Christ and His Church is to come into a new way of seeing!

The church is the nurturing and caring community of the Father: “when we encounter the church we move into spiritual territory that occupies earthly terrain. We encounter the living God in the midst of our humanity. We encounter the Spirit of God dwelling in the midst of a people who are created and formed into a unique community. In and through this community the converting person is nurtured, discipled, and equipped.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

2009-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Paul says to the Ephesians, In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. (Eph 6:10).

As he closes his letter to the brethren he admonishes them to be "strong in the Lord." Most people want God to make them strong, but Jesus did not come to make us strong in ourselves but rather He came to become for us our strength. It is our "UNION" with Him that provides us strength. It is our relationship with Him that ultimately produces the strength (the very JOY) that is needed to live this earth bound life. We are to draw our strength from His Love.

In the face of the battle of life "what are we to do?" BE STRONG IN THE LORD! Rely upon our union our, oneness with the ONE who has "chosen us before the foundation of the world," who "made us alive," who "has seated us together with Him."

Our strength comes from Love. A love that the world had never known before. A love that was furiously focused on restoring His union with us. Into the midst of our weakness He came and rescued us with His Divine Embrace. Within that Embrace all Embarrassment disappears. All our weaknesses and fears are destroyed and we are empowered to receive all that He is and has.

Be Strong! Be Courageous! Put on the whole armor of God. The very Presence of the One who has come not only once as the son of Mary but also He has come to live within our hearts. Yes the Holy Spirit longs to make His home within us. We must allow the ONE who walked the shores and the waves of Galilee to live within us.

To be filled with the Spirit of the Lord is the very hope of every individual and the essence of the church. We are a people who are in need of the very Presence of the Lord who is a "Spirit" and who desires to fill us with Himself.

Eph 3:14-16
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
NKJV

The Church is in need of a Spiritual Strengthening. A reconditioning of long forgotten muscles. A recovering of abilities that were given to us in the new birth. We need to "RE-THINK" what it means to be the church. The Church is the body of the Christ. We are his family, we are the continuation of His ministry. A ministry that was full of the power of the Holy Spirit. I am truly convinced that we have allowed the rationality of our times to rob us of the potential and possibility of the manifestation of the supernatural realities of the Holy Spirit.

This is a cry! This is a shout to the Church! BE STRONG IN THE LORD. Rather thaN chasing to find or build strength in ourselves we must rely upon the Holy Spirit. It is He who was sent to empower us to be the sons and daughters of the Most High.

So today... Put on the armor of the Lord. and Pray ... Pray in the Spirit ... ALWAYS!!!!!

ReThink Church

2009-08-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

The early Christians discovered that telling the story of Jesus carried a power which they continually associated with the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts makes these references often: "Filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke God's word with boldness." "The Word of God continued to spread." "The word of God continued to advance and gain adherents." The Word of God grew mightily and prevailed" (Acts 4:31; 6:7; 12:24: 19:20).

Paul said it like this, "When you received the word of God from us, you accepted it not as human word, but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you beleivers." "The word of truth, the gospel which has come to you....bearing fruit and growing in the whole world" (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 1:5-6).

They were using old language with a new intent. "Bearing fruit and growing," is a direct connection to the language of the first creation, of Genesis chapter one. "By the word of YHWH were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth," (Psalm 33:6).

The early Christians were now saying the very same word is now at work in you through the good news, the "gospel," the message that declares Jesus as the risen Lord.

"The Word is near you, on your lips and in your heart: because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:8-9).

In other words, when you announce the good news that the risen Jesus is Lord, that very word is the word of God, (who created the first creation), is now the carrier or agent of God's Spirit, the means by which, (as Isaiah had prophesied), new life (everlasting, abundant life), from God's dimension comes to bring new creation with in our life (Isaiah 40:8; 55:10-13).

That is how the church is to carry forward the work of Jesus! Luke said, “all that Jesus began to do and teach.” The implication is clear: that the story of the church, led and energized by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the story of Jesus continuing to do and teach — through His Spirit-led people. That is why we pray “Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Together as we are filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit we are the hands, the feet, the very continuation of the ministry of Jesus. Empowered by His Spirit we can love each other and the world around us in such a way that the very Presence of the Lord is revealed to all. We must “Re-Think” what it means to be the church.

We are so much more than an institution, an organization or a building. We are so much more than a group of people gathered around some sort of common vision or a set of values. The Church is spiritually and literally the "body of the Christ." We are the "house of the Lord." We are the "dwelling place, the temple of the Holy Spirit."

When we "unite" together in love for the Lord and in love with each other we become the very "living organism" of the Christ. He Himself lives in us! (Col. 1:27). The reality of His Presence is to be found and encountered in the very midst of our loving God and each other.

Our unity, our worship, our relationship with each other is absolutely essential for the ministry of Christ to continue on the earth. We must Re-think ..... what it means to be the church.

HOLY HEARTBURN

2009-07-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

There is one huge barrier that keeps most of us from hearing the voice of God, it is what Henry King called, “the seeming unreality of the spiritual life” or we could say “the overwhelming presence of the visible world.”

The visible world daily bombards us with its things, and its events. These circumstances of life push and pull (and sometimes hammer and beat) away at our lives. Very few people wake up as thirsty for God as they are for Starbucks.

The spiritual voice of God does not shout, but rather He whispers at us. He appears on the edges of the events of our lives. God is hovering always, longing for our attention. God’s little intrusions into our human lives are so gentle that they are far too easily dismissed or explained away. We are obsessed and ruled by the visible decay and death around us that we cannot seem to grasp the life of the spirit (Roman 8:6).

Hence, we are hindered from hearing because we too quickly and easily explain away the very movements of God towards us. God wants to be wanted! He wants to be wanted enough that we are ready, predisposed, to find him present with us.

Unfortunately we live in a culture that has, for centuries now, cultivated the idea that the skeptical person is always smarter than one who believes. Only a very hardy individualist or social rebel – or one desperate for another life – therefore stands the chance of discovering the substantive reality of the spiritual life of God, and hear His voice. Hence, very few people develop competent prayer lives. This is chiefly because they are prepared to explain away as coincidences the answers that come to the prayers that they do make.

If we are to “hear God” we must chose to be a spiritual person and to live a spiritual life. We will be required to “bet our life” that the visible world, while real, is not reality itself. Today we live in a culture that overwhelmingly gives primary, if not exclusive, importance to the visible. We cannot make spirituality “work” without having a significant degree of confidence in and commitment to the truth that the visible world is always under the hand of the unseen God.
This is the challenge that I face every day when I wake up. It walks with me through the events of each day. Will I, like Moses, “endure as seeing him who is invisible?” Will I listen for God then obey? Right now where I am, moment to moment, I sweat it out with my brother Paul: “My visible self may be perishing, but inwardly I am renewed day by day… it is working for me, to produce in me His glory, thus I refuse to look at the visible, but rather focus on the unseen.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18 paraphrase)

God has always used and invaded the visible. He has always provided visible points of contact for His people. Consider all the visible elements that He instructed Moses to build. Those elaborate provisions provided a visible means through which Moses might be able to hear God’s voice. The tabernacle, the sacrificial equipment, the rituals and so forth provided a point for constant interaction in the visible world with the invisible God. They were called to worship morning and evening, at the very door of the tent of meeting, “I will meet with you, to speak with you there” (Ex. 29:42). Here they, “heard the sounds of the words, but saw no form…”(Deut. 4:10-14). Here they stood, only one step away from the visible to unseen reality of God’s Kingdom.

The Voice of heaven becomes visible in and through the life of Jesus Christ. After His resurrection He appears to his disciples in visible form a few times in order to allow them to grow accustom to hearing him without seeing him. Thus it was “through the Holy Spirit” that he gave instructions to his apostles (Acts 1:2). He made Himself visible to them just enough to give them confidence that it was he who was speaking in their hearts. This prepared them to continue listening and conversing with him after he no longer appeared to them visibly.

Remember for a moment those two heartbroken students who were on the road to Emmaus. He caught up with them in a visible form that they did not recognize. He spoke with them from the Scriptures and explained what had happened to their Jesus. Then when they sat at supper with him, suddenly “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:31). They asked one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).

They realized that his words had always affected their hearts, their inward life, in a very peculiar way. No one else spoke the words or the way that He did. They realized that they should have recognized Him by the affect that His words had on their hearts. This was not the first time that they had discussed “holy heartburn” that was produced by Jesus’ words.

We are called to live on the road, on a journey, with intermittent moments of “HOLY HEARTBURN.”

Our healing, our health is directly related if not proportionate to our hearing of God’s word. If we are to walk in health, it begins with our hearts being warmed by the very VOICE of the One who came to “heal the broken-hearted.”

Today, be listening, be expecting to hear the voice that will warm your heart, and make you whole!!!

HEALING

2009-07-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

"If there is one thing I hear with growing clarity, it's that God is calling each and every Christian to personally participate in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ." Brennan Manning

I love that statement! God is not some impersonal force trying to get us to conform to His will. No He is "Our Father"; a loving parent who is working within our lives for our highest and best.

A "healed" person is one who finds his/her identity only in God, and no longer in a role (wife, mother, father, etc.), in a career or profession (doctor, lawyer, pastor), or in class (woman, white-collar worker), a "healed" "whole" person is no longer shaped or determined by fears of failure or by what others think. JUSTIFIED BY GOD AND GOD ALONE! This redeemed personality is free! Free from sins, mistakes, opinions; it is free from the rejections it has experienced. This person is free: free to love -- even its own enemies; free to create -- in spite of the fears and hate surrounding it. This personality (healed person) no longer attempts to relate to others (much less the Body of Christ) on the basis of expertise of any kind, for it no longer finds its identity in that expertise. A HEALED PERSON (PERSONALITY) FINDS HIS/HER IDENTITY AS A CHILD OF THE FATHER!

A "healed" person is free from fears, outward pressures, undue domination by others. Free from the very circumstances of life and secure in his or her inner person, a healed person is able to confront and to deal with these issues rather than being shaped by them. A HEALED PERSON HAS WILLED TO BE ONE WITH GOD.

A healed person has begun a journey of collaborating with its Creator. This person has realized that he or she can create nothing of himself, but rather being "one" with God is now free to discover what the Creator is doing in and through his or her life. Healing then is surrendering to the "One" who can "RE-CREATE" our lives according to His Divine will.

Thus, a "healed" man is indwelled by God the Holy Spirit who now empowers man to be an "artist" or a "co-creator" with HIM. THIS IS OUR DESTINY!

Christ in man, resurrecting the whole of man; his intellectual, his senses, his emotions, every area of his being to be responsive to the very life of God. Healing then is the result of our union and communion with the very Source of life and all of creativity. In this union we become whole persons. Love flows from the uncreated to the created and out to other created beings.

God's love in us is the Divine Energy that overcomes the Fall every person and lifts us back up into the very life that we were created to live. To enter into this Union, Communion or "The Great Dance", then, is to enter into the Presence of the Holy Spirit, the dynamic activity of the Love that is shared between the Father and the Son, this is Healing to all of creation.

HIS PRESENCE

2009-06-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

In Psalm 27:4, David says; "One thing I ask of the Lord -- the thing I seek most -- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."

The greatest need in Christianity is the ability to "focus." To cut through all the fog of current fads and focus on the main thing! So many Christians get stuck or sidetracked on things that do nothing but distract them from what is truly the "one thing necessary."

THE MAIN THING IS HIS PRESENCE.

JOY AND PLEASURE
Ps 16:11
11 You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
NKJV

GLADNESS
Ps 21:6
You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence.
NKJV

SAFETY
Ps 31:20
20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.
NKJV

REFRESHING
Acts 3:19
19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
NKJV

JOY, PLEASURE, GLADNESS, SAFETY, AND REFRESHING COMES FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND NOT FROM ANYTHING ELSE.

DAVID KNEW THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HIS OWN FAILURE HE CRIED OUT FOR GOD'S MERCY!

Ps 51:11
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
NKJV

DAVID CRAVED THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Ps 42:1-3
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
NKJV

NO WONDER GOD SAID THAT DAVID WAS A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART.

In both Amos and Acts we read:
Acts 15:16
16'After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
NKJV

Amos 9:11
11 "On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;

God Himself is rebuilding that relationship were we can meet with Him and live in His Presence.
He gave his very Son so that we could be redeemed. He sent His Spirit into our hearts so that we could experience the very "adoption as His children."

As we move through the celebration of "Pentecost" we should allow ourselves to be focused on His Presence that now abides within our hearts and not merely in tabernacles, tents or temples.

The very "fullness" of God lives in and finds expression in and through His Body, the gathered and assembled "people of His Presence."

Live every moment, every day in the awareness of His Presence!

Pastor Quintin

THE KEY TO STRONG FAITH

2009-04-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Key to Strong Faith:
The key to strong faith is a close fellowship with God. When we know intimately the God in whose word we trust, it becomes easier to trust him when we have not other assurances but his word. It is easy to see that this intimacy was the case with Abraham. Each time God says, “Abraham,” he answers immediately, “Here I am.” That biblical way of expressing the quick and ready obedience of a servant who knows his master well. Had spent twenty-four years before Isaac’s birth becoming acquainted with this God’s faithfulness and love. He had the benefit of the years that had passed since his son’s birth to see in Isaac a daily, living reminder of God’s faithfulness. Abraham knew intimately the one in whom he trusted.

Abraham was like the young sailor in a story that was the delight of Robert Louis Stevenson. Waves crashed over the ship as it labored along the rocky coast. The danger in the air was palpable. One sailor, toiling below the water line, could contain himself no longer. In a panic, he stumbled up the stairs into the control room where he stood frozen in terror, watching the captain grapple with the controls as he fought to steer the huge ship through the rocks to open water. The captain looked over his shoulder at the scared sailor and smiled. The sailor smiled back and went back down below deck to tell the crew that everything was going to be all right. When they asked him how he knew, he said, “I have seen the face of the captain, and he smiled at me.”

Abraham had spent years looking into the face of God and had seen his smile often enough to trust him when he couldn’t see it. That is what a lifetime of waiting, in close fellowship with God, does for you. There are no shortcuts to this kind of trust. It comes only out of a reservoir of faith that has been fed by years of experience.

When asked how he became such a great orator George Bernard Shaw answered, “I learned to speak as men learn to skate or cycle, by doggedly making a fool out of myself until I got used to it.”

I love these words by Martin Luther;
This life, therefore, is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being , but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing towards it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.

A faith like Abraham’s comes only through years of experience. There are, however, things we can do to enrich that experience. A life of prayer, meditation on the Holy Scriptures and the fellowship and worship of the church are chief. In fact they are critical. These things are to our faith what a look at the captain was to the frightened sailor. Prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship in the Christian community, the Church are definitely not “one-shot” experiences. Their value is cumulative, not instantaneous.

The letters to the editor section of a newspaper printed a letter complaining about the sermons the writer heard each week in his church. He figured that he had heard nearly 1500 sermons in a lifetime of church attendance, but could remember what was said in only two or three. He proposed that the sermon served no good purpose and should be discarded. A fury of protest followed. But the best word came from a man who wrote: “As near as I can tell, I have eaten nearly 55,000 meals in my fifty years on this planet. I can remember what I ate in only a few of them. I would give up eating, but I have the distinct impression that I would soon be dead if I did.”

The power of prayer, the Word of God, the fellowship and the worship of the church are food to us. These exercises may not be memorable, but they are crucial to the nourishment of our life with God.

The key to strong faith is a close fellowship with God. And the key to fellowship with God is fellowship with His people, His family, His body, the church. I cannot encourage you strong enough to get involved in our new Sunday School hour (8:45 – 9:45 every Sunday am). This time will allow all of us to grow in our faith by developing stronger relationships with each other. It will give us an opportunity to grow in our understanding of the Word and how to apply it to our lives.

I sincerely desire to see each and every one of you grow stronger in your faith. This is a great opportunity for all of us to become more like the Master. See you Sunday.
Living in the Light of the Cross,
Bishop Quintin

THE CELEBRATION BEGINS!

2009-04-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Americans and for that matter most of western civilization are event orientated people! We have a tendency to celebrate everything only on a particular day and time. The ancient world would never have allowed themselves only a day and then only a couple of hours on that day to mark such a glorious event as the resurrection of Christ.

Think about it, the Hebrews marked and celebrated seven major events a year and they took days and weeks to do it. That is why in the ancient church they celebrated Easter for 5o days! That's right "50" days! Built within every calendar year was a mini Jubilee! Every debt was forgiven, every slave was set free and everyone returned to his home land!

That's right Easter can never be fully realized and celebrated on one day for a few hours! No, the very magnitude of the resurrection of Christ takes 5o days to comprehend and to embrace.

Yesterday was Amazing! BUT DON'T STOP NOW! HE IS ALIVE! CHRIST HAS RISEN!

He lives in our lives right now, breaking every limitation and bringing us into our God-given Destiny! I am looking forward to the next 7 weeks of feasting with the One who died for me and defeated evil for me.

Praise your name O Christ! My King and My Lord! This truly is the Day that you have made and I will be glad and rejoice in it!

Living in light of the Cross!!!

Bishop Quintin

FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID CHRIST COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN?

2009-04-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

For what purpose did Christ come down from Heaven? Answer: “That He might destroy sin, overcome death, and give life to man.”

Along with this pregnant statement we must quickly add yet another great quote: “Man had been created by God that he might have life. If now, having lost life, and having been harmed by the serpent, he were not to return to life but were to be wholly abandoned to death, then God would have been defeated, and the malice of the serpent would have overcome God’s will. But since God is both invincible and magnanimous, He showed His magnanimity in correcting man, and in proving all men, as we have said; but through the Second Man He bound the strong one, and spoiled his goods, and annihilated death, bringing life to man who had become subject to death. For Adam had become the devil’s possession, and the devil held him under his power, by having wrongfully practiced deceit upon him, and by the offer of immortality made him subject to death. For by promising that they should be as gods, which did not lie in his power, he worked death in them. Wherefore he who had taken man captive was himself taken captive by God, and man who had been taken captive was set free from the bondage of condemnation.”

The work of Christ is first and foremost a victory over the powers, which hold mankind in bondage: sin, death, and the devil. This victory does not end with the triumph of Christ over the enemies, which had held man in bondage; it continues in the work of the Spirit in the Church.

Therefore, the gift of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of continued and future glory – the central and crucial point is the victory of Christ over the hostile powers of the enemy through His death and resurrection empowers us today to live victoriously.

Bishop Quintin

You don't have to be "just right" to Pray!

2009-04-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

People want to pray and yet they run from prayer! Attracted to it, understand the need for it and yet can't seem to find the time or the real desire to actually participate in prayer! We believe we should pray, we even want to pray and yet there seems to be huge rivers to get across before we can pray.

We often times are not aware of why we don't or can't pray! Work and all the other obligations of life seem to stand in our way, but those are really only smoke screens to the real issues. Our busyness does not keep us from eating or sleeping or playing!

Perhaps one of the reasons is that we think we have to have everything "just right" in order to really pray. We assume that prayer is something to master. When in reality we are only and always only beginners.

Jesus reminds us that prayer is like a little child coming to his or her parents. Our children ask us for some of the silliest things. We are always glad that they ask, it implys that they trust us for anything.

God is just like that, he is pleased merely because we trust him for our lives. What I am trying to say is that all that is needed is child like faith, who comes just as we are into the very presence of God and honestly reveals one's true self. We merely bring ourselves to God just as we are warts and all. Like little children before a loving father, we open our hearts and make our requests known.

Simply begin with where we are: our families, our jobs, our friends, our church, our nation, etc. To simply believe that God can reach us and bless us in the ordinary issues of life is the stuff of prayer. The only place that God can really bless you is where you are right now, because that is the only place we are.

I want to encourage you to pray not when you have it "just right," but rather as a little child who knows Daddy cares. Secondly, simply start where you are right now! You will soon realize that God is not merely a part of your life, but that we are part of His life. You will realize that you are having a divine conversation with God and that He is working in the very ordinary simple areas of your life.

Dear God, I am coming to you this morning with my simple concerns right now in this moment of life. As best as I can I am coming to you with these concerns. Thank your sharing your life in the midst of my life. --- Amen

A CALL TO PRAYER!!!

2009-04-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

As I prayed this morning I realized just how God's heart is an open wound of love. He absolutely aches over our distance and preoccupation with other things. He longs for us to draw near to him. I truly believes that he grieves that perhaps we have forgotten Him. I sense that He weeps over our obsession with all the "muchness and manyness". I believe He longs for our presence more than we long for His.

I hear His heart beating for us to return.... return home. We are called to live in His "divine embrace." On the cross he opened wide His arms so that we could come to Him. It is far too easy to be caught in a country of noise, busy with the call to success! But this country leads to frustration, fear, confusion, and ultimately disappointment. We are all called to live within His embrace! That is our home!

THE DIVINE EMBRACE

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hand in love, may bring those who do not know you into the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen
(The Book of Common Prayer, 101)

He has invited us to come right into the very heart of His Presence! We do not need to be shy or intimidated. We have been given free access into the family room, the kitchen, the dining, the study....the bedroom; He has invited us into His home and we have free run of the whole house.

The key to this home, this heart of God, IS PRAYER! I realized this morning that the distractions of this country, this life many times keep us from reaching the safety of the Father's Embrace. Many times we don't pray except in times of anguish or terror. But never mind. I want to tell you that Abba's arms are open wide this day for you!

I also realized some of you may not even believe in prayer! You've tried to pray but it proved to be a disappointment or it left you disillusioned. You didn't seem to have faith or for that matter any feeling what so ever! I want to encourage you.... the Father has both for you.

Perhaps you are just hurt, wounded by the injustices of life. You've been wronged! And you simply avoid prayer because it just hurts too much! His arms are still open to you too!

Maybe, you have prayed for years and the words just seem cold, and empty! You just don't see the results like you used too. It's OK His arms are still open!

I want to encourage you this morning that the Father wants you to come into His "Divine Embrace." We are to live within His arms! Prayer is all about knowing His Love and responding to that love by climbing into His arms on His lap and hearing His heart beat for you! Prayer is all about "intimacy." It is all about "relationship."

IF THE KEY IS PRAYER -- THEN THE DOOR IS JESUS CHRIST.

Jesus is the doorway into the Father's Embrace! Prayer is the key to that door! We no longer have to stand outside --- we are no longer barred from the Presence of our Father. We... you and I can enter into the very Presence of our God through the doorway of Christ!

Prayer is the communion between the Holy Spirit and Jesus! The Holy Spirit leads us through the doorway of Christ right into the arms of the Father. When we don't know how or what pray it is the Holy Spirit who helps us and sustains us and guides us into and through the door of Christ.

The Holy Spirit sheds and stirs the very love of God in our hearts. Effective prayer is merely the response of lovers! "He prayeth well, who loveth well" (Samuel Coleridge).

I am simply saying perhaps you need to stop and turn from all the distractions and calls of the world around and listen to the love that is crying deep within. Go ahead respond to that cry... for it is the cry of God, the cry of your Father who longs for you presence. He aches for you!

Go ahead you can pray, you can love, can rest in His Embrace today!

2009-04-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I found this video very interesting! To realize that even those who don't believe in God pay attention to those who believe enough to share their faith. I wonder if we believe enough to realize that others need to hear what we know to be the truth.

Like the man said, "if you saw a truck that was about to hit someone you would push them out of harms way." Real Love, Real Faith must witness!

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation. (2 Cornithians 6:1-2).

We have received His Grace and part of our response is to care about others enough to offer them the same Grace! Somewhere along the way it appears as though sharing our faith has become "embarrassing." Or at the very least culturally and socially unacceptable.

If we truly believe in heaven and hell, we must share the "good news" with all people. I want to encourage you to share your faith with others. This is a great week to do it... !

We are remembering His death, burial and resurrection this very week. Please care enough to share His - Story with others.

ITS ABOUT YOUR FAITH

2008-10-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's all over the news! I'm sure you've heard! The greatest problem in America, issue of this election is the economy! Well that is not true! It is not about the economy, IT'S ABOUT YOUR FAITH!

Peter said, "that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." (1 Peter 1:7).

From the very beginning of the church we have been persecuted for our faith. The enemy has tortured and killed many of the believers in an attempt to cause others to stop believing. Some were crucified upside down, others were fed to lions, some were even burned at the stake. And yet the church held firm to the "faith which was once and for all handed down to the saints" (Jude 3). Yes they had to "contend for the faith," and it is not different from today.

The enemy did not want the Twin Towers or New York City. The enemy did not care about the 3000 plus people in those towers. The enemy wanted to terrorize the rest of America in to giving up. Terrorism is the very strategy of the enemy. He will attack your house, your finances, your health, all in an attempt to get you to stop trusting in God.

He wants you to stop believing in Jesus Christ. He wants you to give up! It is not about the economy it is all about our FAITH! Peter probably understood this better than any of the other disciples. The Lord spoke to him and said, "I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail" (Luke 22:32). And the Lord is praying for us right now! We cannot stop believing God now.

Our faith is not based on the stock market or who is in office. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and His love for us. Our faith is not based on our religious piety or performance. No, our faith is based on His relationship with us. A relationship that He initiated and that He maintains. It is not about our doctrinal stand but rather about our intimacy with Him.

Paul encouraged Timothy, "For this reason I suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know in WHOM I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (1 Tim. 1:12). Paul explained his ability to suffer because I knew in WHOM he believed. Many people are trying to survive on the basis of what they believe rather than on WHOM they believe.

Peter says, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:12-13). The enemy has always tried to cause us to give up by attacking us, but we must not stop having faith in God! In fact this is the time to "stir up our Faith." In fact we must guard our faith.

Our faith is not in the economy, but in the God that raises the dead! Our faith is not in any government but in God's Kingdom. Even Jesus warned us of how Satan would come to steal the word that was sown in our hearts. He even told us that many would hear the word with joy, but because they had "no root in themselves" they would not be able to endure (Mark 4).

We must build our faith! St. Jude, who encouraged the believers to "contend for the faith" gives us some great insight into how to stay strong in the Faith.

Jude 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

You certainly don't hear a lot of conversation today about the Holy Spirit. The fact is that the Holy Spirit was sent to us to fill our lives with the very knowledge and presence of Jesus. Jesus is the very basis of our faith. If we are to be strong in Faith we must rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to us in the midst of the world in which we live.

I want to strongly encourage you to make your self available to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).

We are living in a world that is trying to steal our faith! We must lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths (Pr. 3:6).

I want to encourage you to tune in to my web cast of last Sundays message I truly believe it will help you to rescue, recover and restore your Faith.

Unconditionally

Pastor Quintin

EXTREME MENTAL MAKEOVERS

2008-10-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious -- the best not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." Phil. 4:6-8.

What we fill our minds with is very important. The world around us wants to fill our minds with uncertainty and fear. We cannot allow that to happen. Each of us our responsible for what goes into our minds. I want to encourage each of you to focus on what God has spoken to us. As we fill our hearts and minds with His Words we can be sure that God will give us His Peace.

In a world where there is chaos and confusion we can walk in His Peace and manifest His Presence to others around us.

WHY CHURCH

2008-09-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Many times I have been asked what is the use of going to church, what good does it do me, what will I get out of it? It is like being asked what is the use of getting married, what good does it do me? If I answered such a question by saying, “Well, it is very useful to get married! You have someone to do the housework, the shopping, cook the meals, etc.,” it would clearly be a false view of marriage. No woman wants to be merely a housekeeper, kept because of her functionality. There is only one supreme reason for getting married—for love’s sake, for the other’s sake, for mutual love, self-giving, a longing for intimate communion, and sharing everything.
So in Christian worship, we worship God for God’s sake; we come together for Christ’s sake, motivated by love. An awareness of God’s holy love for us, revealed in Jesus Christ, awakens in us a longing for intimate communion—to know the love of the Father and to participate in the life and ministry of Christ.
Love always implies a communion between persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is a community of Love! God is Love! The Church (those adopted into the Father’s family of love) gathers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—in love; to commune with the God of love and each other. We were created for communion – to be “co-lovers.” We are to find our identity, our fulfillment in this community of love—our true “being” is in “being-in-communion” with God and one another, sharing in God’s love for the world as “co-lovers.”
So, what is the use of going to church, what good does it do me, what will I get out of it? I discover who I am by realizing “whose” I am! I develop who I am by living in this community of love! I am deployed (or sent) into the world as a living expression of the God who is love!
Only as I commune with God in His “body” (the church) do I truly become the “image” of who He created me to be. Only in this atmosphere of love, THE BODY OF LOVE, can I really come to my fullest and highest potential in Christ.

The Power of Your Words

2008-09-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

I thank God for the people who have believed in me through out my life. The words that they spoke over me and the encouragement that they have given me are beyond anything that money can buy. I think that we forget just how powerful our words are to those around us. Words are life or death. Our Father used words to create and to heal and He has entrusted us with the privilege of speech.

I was preaching last Sunday and I remember this story about Ben Hooper. It is a great story and I wanted to share it with all of you ... Please take the time to watch the 3 minute outtake of last Sunday. And remember you can make a difference in the life of those around you by your Words!

Pastor Quintin

Now is the Time

2008-08-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

We mark our lives by keeping time and I believe we need to understand what time it is. There is ordinary time (chronos) and extraordinary time (kairos). We are living in an unprecedented time of worship!

There is a call going forth right now that is the fullness of what Christ spoke when he was here; “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).

I have this gut feeling, this suspicion that the angel of the Lord spoken about in Revelation 14:1-7 is right now calling the nations to worship. “….worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water,” (v.7b) The question is are we hearing this call? Is that call to worship being heard in our community?

It is my sense that there are marks of worship; “radical, rooted, relative, revelatory, and relational.” I think that you can see the youth’s radical expression, I also think that there are those who understand that worship must be connected to our continuum of history (rooted in the truths). I understand the need to relate to those who don’t know our story or language. There is also a need for revelation or prophetic insight in the midst of our worship. And worship is intensified in the context of our human relationships. It is my sense that worship should be; “radical, rooted, relative, revelatory and relational.”

I truly believe that there is a renewal of the convergence of these basic marks of worship within our community right now. There is always an emphases on one or two of these markers but all are needed in our lives.

“The hour is coming and NOW IS…” This is the time to worship Him with a new or renewed passion. There is truly something in the air that is refreshing. I am trying to blow the trumpet so that all can hear.

Come and encounter the Goodness of God in the midst of His People! We as human beings are changed by being exposed to the very presence of God that is encountered in the midst of worship. I fully believe that there is a call being issued for worship. Help me give this call.... "come and worship."

Pastor Quintin

It's All About His Prsence

2008-08-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Is was a Presence, not faith, that drew Moses to the burning bush, and what happened there was a revelation, not a seminar. It was a Presence, not faith, which drew the disciples to Jesus and what what happened then was not an educational program but his revelation to them of himself as the long promised Anointed One.

Their lives, just like Moses, were changed radically by that encounter with a Presence which upended all their ordinary expectations.

David said, "Cast me not away from your Presence, take not your Holy Spirit from me." I wonder today if we cherish the Presence of God the way we should. Jesus promised to be with us when we gather together.

I am living in such expectation of our being together and His Presence! I hope you are too!

Lets Go Swimming

2008-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Life with God is an ongoing, ever-changing, relational adventure. It is not a matter of being driven through life, and then ever once in a while stopping and looking around. No, God expects us to journey with Him, breathing in the breath of life, feeling the blood of life flow through our hearts, and experiencing the very wonder of having been given a body with which we can see and hear and smell and taste and touch this amazing world that He has provided.

Sometimes I wonder if we truly want a life with God? This God who is a Spirit and who has created us to live in the revelation of Him desires us to live in spiritual union with Him. We have the ability to live in the created order as spiritual beings, "his divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3). We have been given "everything needed" because God wants an active partner in relationship.

The Spiritual life is just that -- A LIFE!

We learn as we as we go. We learn as we do. As we go and do with God, we are changed along the way. Thus we are called into the struggle and the joy of being changed by the relationship with God. We are either drifting along in the world around us, or we are moving with the very currents of God's love.

What we are called to intentionally live within the Spiritual Disciplines (or exercises), which are merely directed actions, that place us in a position to receive from God the power of His loving presence which enables us to accomplish what we can not do on our own.

"For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). These exercises will allow God to work in our lives that which alone we are unable to do.

Michael Phelps is propelled through the water by the use of human strokes. Spiritual disciplines or exercises are the strokes that move us into the transforming streams of God's Presence. In order to learn how to swim you must overcome several fears, so it is with learning how to move in the very Spirit of God. We must shed our dependency upon self and trust in God's provision.

We are all being called to learn some strokes (ways and means) by which we can move into this Spiritual life. We have all been caught up in worship, or prayer and sensed God's Presence. There are some exercises (practices) that will give us some ways of finding our way into His Presence where we belong and where we are called to live continually.

Let's swim for the REAL GOLD!

2008-08-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Over the last several weeks Stephan has been asking me all kinds of questions about how to grow in his spirituality. Of course we all know the usual answers, but his questions have required a more thoughtful and ordered response. The truth is that you can't get a perfect body in one fell swoop, no matter what the latest magazine headline tells you! Michael Phelps did not become the gold metal athlete that he is over night.

We can learn a lot about being "spiritually fit" by understanding physical fitness. There are many people who suffer from attitudes toward spirituality similar to their attitudes toward fitness; namely, wanting the results without really understanding the process that leads to results. We want to have inner peace, a sense of meaning, a connection to other people, a knowledge of God and the World -- and we want it now! Generally we realize the need for spirituality in the midst of a crisis. We realize that something is missing and we try to quickly find whatever it is so that we can feel better right now. But it doesn't work that way. We must come into reality and understand that this will take time and accept the fact that our work and dedication to spirituality will pay off in the end.

What is spirituality?

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that spirituality is just about themselves -- it becomes a "self-help" exercise, just another kind of consumer product. If spirituality is to have any meaning at all, it must be about God. Spirituality is what leads us deeper and deeper into the mystery of life, of beauty, of truth, of goodness -- in short, into the mystery of the person we call God.

Ignatius said, "spirituality is the practice, a regular endeavor through which we come to build our lives on the love of God -- to order our lives according to God's plan for us." Therefore, its focus, then, is not primarily ourselves, but God.

"A regular endeavor through which we come to build...." We then are called to develop a long-term spiritual "workout." A workout that first and foremost confronts the reality of God and the reality of ourselves. The first step is to "repent," or identify the wrongs ways of living and don't do them again. Secondly, is to build good habits in place of the bad ones. This may sound overly simple, but truthfully it is the only way to begin. If we want to develop spiritually we must learn what we're doing that is harmful to us and we must also learn to do those things that are helpful to us.

Thus spiritual "workouts" or "endeavors" will help us to become better human beings by practicing the love of God and neighbor.

I will try to walk you through some of these endeavors.... so come walk with me!!!

A Wake Up Call

2008-07-15T12:45:00.001-07:00

As I stood there during Sunday’s seconded service these words became mine; “This is my son in whom I am well pleased….” I was overwhelmed with gratitude as I watched and listened to Stephan express his passion for Christ and encourage others to renew their own passion for the Lord.

He was truly giving us all a “wake-up” call. We are instructed to “seek the Lord while He can be found.” God seeks us and desires that we seek Him. Just this morning Susie Hutchinson reminded me of Psalm 24. In the Amplified, verses 3-7, reads: "Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in HIS holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood, or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. THIS IS THE GENERATION [description] of those who seek HIM, who inquire of and for Him, and [of necessity] require Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors; that the King of Glory may come in."

We are to be that GENERATION that seek HIM. Christ told us ; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). And the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says, “…that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (11:6).

What we witnessed Sunday was not only Stephan’s hunger for the very Presence of God, but many other young (and not so young) people. While the world offers all kinds of experiences and a multitude of stuff it is only the Presence of the Risen Christ who can fill and fulfill the human experience. In the midst of difficult times it is His “real Presence” that can not only save, but sustain us. We must he hear His voice as He is calling us to “seek Him.”
Some of you might be wondering how do I do that? Or what does a seeker look like? I thought of this verse first, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deut. 4:29).

With ALL of our heart and soul, in other words we must make a commitment, a decision to FOCUS on Him. We all are so torn by all the demands of living that we many times only think to seek or search for Him when we have a need that we know we can’t fill alone. We come running to Him to “fix” the stuff of life and forget that He really is “LIFE.”

Rather than treating God as a mechanic who we visit to fix life, I believe that we are to daily read the word, to daily pray and to daily give thanks for His Presence in our lives all the time. It is too easy to forget about who it is that is sharing His life with us every moment of every day.

What happen last Sunday was awesome in the sense that you and I witnessed the “raw hunger” of a young man who wants not to be seen by you or anyone else, but who wants to be accepted and embraced by the “ONE” who is and always shall be the source of Life and Love.

On May the 11th, (Pentecost Sunday) the Lord gave me this perception: “My perception is that spiritual authority is going to increase in the next 6-12 weeks. The thing that I am seeing is that you are going to be given the power and authority to break and destroy the limitations and strongholds that you have been dealing with in your lives for years. You are going to go free from those limitations in areas of your life that you have been merely coping with because you couldn’t get rid of it. There is going be such an experience of freedom in the lives of individuals and families that strongholds will be broken off of people’s lives. Listen to me, it is happening to you. You need to exercise it. The authority is coming up into your life, but you need to be the one who exercises it and says, “I am going free of that.”

Stephan (and it think others as well) went free. He merely exercised it. He took a step and got out of the boat and walked where he had not walked before. Strongholds were broken and freedom was experienced.

You and I are also called to “step out” of our own boat and walk with Christ. To walk in ways we have never walked before. To walk in freedom that we have never had before, to walk in authority that we have never experienced and to find ourselves with Christ in ways we have never know before, that is our calling.

This is your moment…. Now is your time! Wake up and Walk with Jesus!

Bishop Quintin

The Way into The Place

2008-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

John 14:1-6
1 The Way, the Truth, and the Life
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.4 And where I go you know, and the way you know."
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
NKJV

Jesus shed his blood and died that we might have our own place with the Father. There are those who think that they will have to wait until they get to heaven to have that place. But I believe that no only do we have a place in heaven, but that we also have a place with the Father right now. In fact the Psalmist referred to it as a “secret place.” The secret place is a place where we are protected and shadowed by the very Presence of the Lord.

Far to many times we have a hope in the future of being with God and yet are hopeless in our present reality. This is so sad. Not only did God promise us a future but he also promised us a “present.” God is with us right now. He is as much our Father now as He will be in the future. I absolutely love what David said; “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13 NKJV).

There are way to many brothers and sister of the Lord who are losing heart. And the reality is that they have lost hope of ever seeing the “goodness of the Lord,” in their own lifetime. I am writing this to break that “hopeless” spirit off of our lives.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” (Ps 23:6 NKJV) David believed that the very “goodness” of God was pursuing him. Jeremiah said,

I believe that every Christian needs a revelation of the goodness of God. Hope springs into our lives when we realize that God is going to do good to us while we are still in this world. In fact God through Christ has prepared a “place” for us in the goodness of God. We are called to live in His goodness. We are to have faith in His goodness towards us.

When our natural circumstances seem to be going amuck we have a tendency to doubt God’s goodness. But the truth is that God has promised to “never leave nor forsake us.” The difficulties that we all face are being used by God to bring us into our own “place.” Don’t ever allow the trials or tribulations of this present world to ever cause you to doubt God’s Goodness.

In fact Paul said, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28). Every thing that we are going through will ultimately work for our good. Think of Joseph, his brothers sold him into slavery, his masters wife lied about him and had him thrown into prison and it was there that he was forgotten. And yet overnight he was elevated into a “place” of destiny. God was using all of the trials and difficulties of his life to bring him into a “place prepared for him”.

Joseph’s story reveals to us God pattern of bringing us into our “place.” It is a way that often times takes us through some difficulties and yet the end result is our being established in that “place.” It is from that “place” that we are able to bless others with God’s goodness.

I truly believe that I am speaking prophetically when I tell you that God is taking you through some stuff to get you into your “place.” Don’t give up now. Jesus endured the cross because He could see the “joy” that ly ahead. By understanding the “way” you can make it into the “place.”

“And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is the “way.” Stay in close relationship with Jesus. Walk with, talk with, rely on Christ and He will take you into your “place.” In fact every trial that you are experiencing is to try and break your relationship with Christ, your faith in Jesus. It takes a daily choice to remain in fellowship with Jesus. Remember He is the “way.”

[ if you want to hear more about “finding your way into the place” visit the website for this teaching]

Breakout #2

2008-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is my opinion that people will not join or stay in the Church because of some great theological insight, but rather because they are hugged. The Church should be the greatest toucher and hugger within society. As the body of Christ in the world, the Church should be the greatest lover of all. But that is easier said than done. In fact if you’ve been around Church much at all you know that most churches spend more time shrugging than hugging.

Most Churches are great “filling stations,” step right up, get your high-test grace. See you next week: same time, same place. Well it is my desire that the Father’s House Churches would not merely be a “filling station,” but a place where God’s people are formed and fashioned into the family of God, the very Body of Christ. That requires reaching out to others, hugging, shaking hands, and lots of amens.

I believe that the Church is a community of disciples, in which lay people share ministry with the ordained. For me the Church is a community where we try to create as many opportunities as possible, on a quasi-sacramental basis, to lead people into encountering some kind of touch from God. I truly believe in the “real presence” of God in the everyday lives of ordinary people – in the eating, the drinking, the singing, the weeping, the birthing, the marrying and the burying.

Our holiness is in the ordinary, our holiness is in loving with everything we’ve got, and in loving the way Jesus loved. The Church doesn’t make me holy. The Church doesn’t make you holy. The Church reminds us of what we already possess.

With all my heart and soul I believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. I also believe that the Church is the family of God and that I am bound to every man, woman and child of the Church because of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. I believe that in Christ I am a part of every member of the Body of Christ and that they are a part of me. I believe that this relationship in the Spirit is as real and as profound as the bond of the flesh and blood. I believe that I am truly part of the Body of Christ. But just believing all these beautiful things about the Church is not enough. If they are to have the influence on my life that they are meant to have, I must also experience what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. Knowing and believing are just not good enough.

Family and relationships have taken on a totally different meaning for me. Relationship is where I primarily find the Lord. My own quest for holiness is to live all the relationships of my life as completely and as lovingly as I can. The call to shepherd for me means to belong to my people and to allow them to belong to me. I see my life as one in which I am called to share my life with brothers and sisters as they become “flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.”

The only thing that truly touches us is the knowledge that we are “loved.” The “successful” or “effective” pastor touches his people not because of his theology, style or personal gifts. He touches his people only when he loves them and allows them to love him. The successful fellowship is the place where God’s people experience this love – ministers, deacons and lay staff loving others and being loved in return.

Community is the place where I feel loved, accepted, important and known. Community is not just the place where I am told about the love that God has for me in Christ Jesus; it is the place where I am loved and empowered by that community to give that love to other people. Community is far more that correct theological, scriptural and moral teaching. If the doctrines of the Church do not personally engage and touch me, I can never really hear them or respond to them.

People don’t understand and accept Christian teaching because of logical and scientific explanations, as true and as correct as they may be. Somehow these truths must come alive. The only place where this happens today is in a living vibrant community that is always in the process of celebrating the sacrament of friendship and family. In order to become a real community people must pass from mere formal adherence to principle and rule to a living and joyful sharing of faith and life.

My heart is overwhelmed with the knowledge that the enemy has established strongholds, (seats of resistive authority), within our lives in order to keep us from being fully integrated into the body of Christ, the Community of His Love.

Two of the very strongest “holds” on people today are; “individualism” and “expectations.” Everything in this world is designed around the fulfillment of the individual, thus every individual places expectations upon people around him or her. These two factors are strong barriers to the reality of God’s community of love where every person works for the fulfillment of all.

We are called to lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. We have been called to a kingdom that is more than the sum total of the individuals but rather about the family that is being formed in the likeness and image of our father.

It is time to start a revolution of “re-forming” the family of God that is centered around the very revealed love of the Father, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice was for us “all” not merely as individuals with expectations but rather as a family living and loving together.

The children of Israel thought of themselves as grasshoppers. That is in part because they looked at themselves individually rather than collectively. I want to challenge you to see yourself collectively as the Body of Christ rather than individually trying to tackle the entire world alone.

Unity is the forerunner of the power of the Holy Spirit. With that reality in mind let us move to be re-united as the very family of God, empowered together by His Presence for the removal of every stronghold that has hindered the body of Christ.

In His Great Love,

Bp. Quintin

The BreakOut of Love

2008-06-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Following is an excerpt from Bishop Quintin Moore's Book "Love the Heartbeat of Christianity" and and excerpt from Bishop Moore's current sermon series "BreakOut"

Modern Christianity has elevated the written word so high that it has removed the need for people to have an encounter with God. Modern Christians replaced relationship with for rules and regulations. Jesus said, “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”

The scriptures are given to reveal, to led us to the Christ. The One who was and is God’s Love revealed to us. If the Church is to recover her role within society and fulfill her assignment to witness to the world, she must have heart surgery and remove the blockages that have hindered her from receiving the love of God and from loving the Lord and each other. Paul had his heart jump started on the road to Damascus. God took the paddles and shocked his heart back to life.

Listen to these words: “If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.” He admits that his world was totally overcome with the love of Christ.

Love took complete control of his living. It was the driving force of his life. Love was the energy of all that Paul said and did throughout the journey of his life. He very clearly states that the heart of a Christian is to be filled with love: “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Nearly all of the other Apostles have similar things to say about the subject. Peter says, “Above all things have fervent love for each other.”

ABOVE ALL THINGS!

Peter made it very clear. It is not your doctrine, your denomination, or your degrees that will give you the life that you seek; it is love! Peter says to make love your first priority. Focus on it. Don’t let anything take its place. HAVE FERVENT LOVE!

Wow! Do not just love, but have fervent, unceasing love. Never take a break from loving each other. Why? “… Love covers a multitude of sins.” Lord knows we all need a covering. Peter is very clear; nothing else even comes close to love. The world has offered counterfeits. Even religion has bowed to the demand for new fads and fashions, for the latest and the newest. But Peter and Paul were moved with passion by the love the Master revealed to them. Love is our passion. It stirs and controls us to live beyond the status quo of the culture. It drives us to be reckless and radical. It forces us to love those whom the world and religious people reject and neglect.

Love demands justice for dying children. Love does not just feed the hungry but redistributes the wealth of the world by forgetting the debts of all and restoring the land to the original owners. (the essence of the year of Jubilee)

Remember the last question that Jesus asked Peter? “Do you love me?” Jesus knew that Peter knew He was the Christ, but the question now is, do you love Me?’ Not once but three times Jesus asks this question. Why? I think He was driving the point home, deep into Peter’s heart.

No wonder Peter says, “ABOVE ALL THINGS HAVE LOVE.”

John the Beloved, goes even further: “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.” Very simply, to know God is to know love. If you don’t love, then you don’t know God. Only those who love know God. The one who laid his head on the chest of the Lord, the one who had listened to the beating heart of the Master, says very clearly God is Love. God does not have love, no, His very nature is love and Jesus is the revelation of the Father’s nature. John challenges us to step out of our reasoning and step into relationship.

The very heartbeat of the Christian life is Love.

Without real God-love, our hearts can never beat with the Life of God. That is why each of the apostles goes to such extremes about the love of God. They heard the Lord’s answer to the question. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” His reply was very direct and every one of the Apostles heard His answer.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

All the Law and the Prophets rely upon these two commandments. In other words, all the other commandments are built upon or spring from these two. Over the last five hundred years the church at large has focused on everything but these two. The Body of Christ is separated and weak because of the differences of opinions about everything from music style to baptism. Rather than loving God and each other we have majored on methods and interpretations.

In Christ’s day men were working their way to Heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments, and the hundreds of others that they had manufactured out of them. It is not much different today. People are still searching for the right doctrine or denomination. These arguments have separated the very family that Jesus died to create. Today people are looking for the right Christian formula that will guarantee success and heaven to them. Unaware that heaven is within and that success cannot be measured except within the heart of ones soul, humanity continually seeks to acquire by human effort that which can only be received as a gift from God.

Into this world of rules and regulations, an unlearned rabbi from Galilee named Jesus makes this outrageous statement that if you focus on one thing you will fulfill everything. If you love, you will unconsciously fulfill the whole law. Isn’t it time to repent and return to loving God and loving each other?

Any attempt to become righteous without love is futile. However, I want to quickly caution you, your behavior alone will not open up the doors of heaven for you. (How many people do you know who perform all the right things but don’t really love people?). This little book is a cry in the wilderness for a return to Love. But in no way do I want you to interpret it as a call for merely behavioral change. The change that is needed must be the results of a heart change that has been and continues to be the work of the Holy Spirit. You and I can do nothing on our own, but empowered by the Father’s Spirit we can be and do all things.

We are created by “love,” for “love.” Only the reception of unconditional love will bring us into our fullness as a created being. The enemy does not want any of us to receive that “love.” So he established “strongholds,” in our minds that keep us from being able to believe or receive the “love that is God.” Those false perceptions of who we are and who God is are to be destroyed by the “truth,” of who God is and who we are. He desires to reveal His love to us.

God desires to break into our lives that He might break us out of the limitations that has held us back for generations, I believe that His love is going to break through all the barriers that have been erected in our lives and in our regions. There is a revolution of love that is breaking out right now. So join the revolution and start loving yourself and others and God.

Prophetic Word from Sunday, May 11, 2008

2008-05-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

“My perception is that spiritual authority is going to increase in the next 6-12 weeks. The thing that I am seeing is that you are going to be given the power and authority to break and destroy the limitations and strongholds that you have been dealing with in your lives for years. You are going to go free from those limitations in areas of your life that you have been merely coping with because you couldn’t get rid of it. There is going be such an experience of freedom in the lives of individuals and families that strongholds will be broken off of people’s lives. Listen to me, it is happening to you. You need to exercise it. The authority is coming up into your life, but you need to be the one who exercises it and says, “I am going free of that.” And when you go free of it, you’ve got to hate that thing. Those things that were strongholds in my life before, I hate them now. You cannot go back and play with them…. If you have strongholds, thought patterns, limitations, habits, particularly low self-esteem; particularly you don’t think you are worthy, you’re insecure…that is going to be destroyed, because low self-esteem is the Enemy robbing you of the potential in your life. If the Enemy can keep you thinking you don’t matter, you don’t count, nobody loves you or likes you, if He can keep you there he can keep your gifts from coming out. Those strongholds are coming down, that is coming off, and you’re going to come out of that thing and go, yes go into the freedom that He has purchased for you.” (May 11, 2008)

Contentment

2008-02-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Christianity is more than just a question of where you will spend eternity; it is a choice of who you are following? Eternal life is more about who is on the journey with you than where the journey leads. If we are walking with Jesus we can trust the destination to Him. A Christian then should be more focused on his or her relationship with Jesus than on performing in such a way as to be rewarded with heaven. Christianity is more about allowing the King of Heaven into your life than merely getting you into Heaven.

I have discovered that the journey of the Christian life is far more exciting and fun when you focus on who is with you than where you are or where you are going. Christ promised to “never leave nor forsake us.” Christ empowers each of us to face the issues of each day. Our challenge is to live this day! To live in this moment and not the past nor the future is truly contentment. To be present to this day and to each other is real living. You and I are alive right now. Breathing and exhaling is the gift of life that is ours by His Mercy.

And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

I have come to understand that we must see ourselves as living souls who belong not to our own self but to God who made us and who loves us. To come to this understanding is to accept an invitation to hold life, relationships, and possessions loosely, recognizing that nothing is really ours but that we belong to God and to all that is around us – our family, neighborhood, communities of work and worship, our country, our neighbors in the world, and the earth that sustains us all.

This reality has brought me a peace and contentment that is rarely found in a world that is driven to succeed, whatever that means. Rather than living in the light of His Presence, many live in the shadows of progress which is a consumer-driven market eager to shape our desires and replace holy contentment with an insatiable hunger. Instead of living souls, breathing in His life, they have become avid consumers.

We are eternal beings accountable and belonging to God. I admit that I would rather sleep than keep a prayer vigil, and I would rather eat than fast. And I know that I am not alone. We live in a world that believes that freedom is found in our self-determination. This is a world that calls us from the pursuit of God to the pursuit of self-actualization and self-fulfillment thus replacing sacrifice and self-denial. But we know that real freedom comes as we surrender self to He who is the source of our life. God ultimately has our highest and best in mind.

The economy in which we now live depends on keeping people discontented, so that they will keep buying the new and improved products that will bring them contentment and thus drive our economy. In the midst of this economy the Church must offer the “economy of the Kingdom.” We must remain “living souls” rather than “self-absorbed individuals.” Human beings focused on being “themselves” become nothing more than consumers in search of satisfaction, contentment and peace the latest and greatest product.

The Church must stand in contrast to this world’s economy and live as people who are content and at peace with breathing the very “breath of God.” We were created to be “living souls,” not “consumers for our self.” That is “Abundant Life.” Contentment, peace, joy and freedom are the results of our relationship with God and His Christ not in owning or possessing people or things.

I am more and more convinced that the Church world wide is “spiritually disorientated.” We have become misdirected by the voices of society that offer satisfaction as a result of their product or of our performance. This misdirection has led to a sense lostness that has left humanity wondering through this world in search of contentment that can only be found by returning to the One who created us.

Christ came “to seek and save the lost.” It is far to easy to speak of the lost as those who have never heard of the Christ, rather than acknowledging that even those of us who know Him can lose sight of Him. Lent, is the season of self-denial! It is the season in which we are called to evaluate our own lives in light of our relationship with the Christ, who for all others gave Himself.

Have we allowed the economy of the world to creep into our lives? Are there areas where we can reclaim ourselves as “living souls?” Is our discontentment and discouragement and depression a result of having believed the “lie” of the advertising consumer-driven world in which we live? Can we stop and “breathe in” the very life of God which we were designed to depend upon?

I truly believe that Prayer, meditation, and daily Bible reading are ways in which we can rediscover the very breathe and the life that is ours by the mercy of God. I sincerely desire to encourage you to take account of your life as we journey towards the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of the Christ.

I am attempting to call others to join with me for daily prayer here at the church at 6:00AM – 12:00PM – 6:00PM…. If you can’t be with us please pray and give your self to Him in a more devotional way as we approach Easter.

Grace and Peace

Bishop Quintin

Flesh of our Flesh -- Advent

2007-12-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Flesh of our Flesh – Advent

During Advent the Church proclaims the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ took flesh in time and He continues to take flesh in the lives of people today. We are the continuation of the Incarnation. As we look back to the joy of the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem we also expect and celebrate His birth in each one of us.

We are a people who live in response to His coming to us as a child in the past, as Spirit in the present and as the King in the future. He has come, He is coming and He shall come again. Advent is a very significant time of the year. It is a time to emphasis the holiness of our relationships and family life. It is a perfect time to lead families to claim their holiness and their beauty by reflecting on the life and family of Jesus that is the result of His coming to us and our adoption into the Father’s family.

Remember, it is our task to remind our people that they already have everything. They are holy because He is holy and He has chosen them. Our holiness is in the ordinary. Our holiness is in loving with everything we’ve got, and in loving the way Jesus loved. Their holiness is to live out their relationships with great love and fidelity. The Church doesn’t make our people holy; it reminds them of what they already possess. It is their commitments, relationships and love in which their holiness is revealed.

The more the Church stresses the meaning and the holiness of family life, the more this holy time becomes the new incarnation of God’s people living out their identity. They are a part of the family, the Body of Christ. He becomes one with us so that we could become one with Him and His family. His coming reminds us that we are no longer individuals living alone but we have been grafted into a community of the Father’s Love.

He came to create a family. He is continually sustaining His family and He will come again for His family. During Advent we are to remind each other that we are alive because of His coming and that we live for His coming.