marriage, grieving and love.........

So there's a date that will forever be on my mind. August 16th, 2014. It is a day that I will never forget. It was the day I was to pledge my love and comment to the woman I desired to live my life for. I was supposed to get married. I have never mentioned this in social media out of respect for her and those involved, but I feel I finally must talk about it. Her name is Danielle and she was and I still believe to be an amazing women who loves Jesus above all. I know she is gonna rock this world for his kingdom.

I'm not trying to do anything other then get a few thoughts out there about grieving and love. The two seem so opposite at first glance, but when break ups happen it is part of life. I was with her for about 8 1/2 months. We were engaged for 3 1/2 of those months, did ministry and life together everyday during that time. We both were involved with a ministry called harvest home outside of Kansas City, MO. I moved from Colorado to be closer to her and prepare our life together, but in the end she didn't want to be with me. I have come to accept that and not be effected by it, cause I am loved by my Father and community unconditionally and thats all I will ever need.

I still care about her and her family. I will forever remember the Metcalf clan and love them in a special way. All 11 of them! I will forever remember Norfolk, NE in a special way. Its more then just a little town 2 hours away from Grand Island or Lincoln. Its a little town that is beautiful in its own right. The people I know through Danielle are amazing. I can and will never erase her or them from my past or heart. Its just my past. I am not defined by it but it is there and I will never forget it. I called this grieving and love cause like I said break ups hopfully bring both, for me it was death of a dream. My desire to have someone to love and come home to and raise a family with and minister to people with is dead. Well, at least for now anyways.

I changed my whole life for what I thought was God's will, but lo and behold I was wrong. I am convinced of this, but I do only see through a glass dimly. My choice is my choice. I have chosen to move on with love for what God has given me in the life I lived with Danielle and her (our) community. I no longer am sad but I do still grieve but in my grieving I love them all. All you reading this from Lincoln, NE....Holden, MO.....and Norfolk, NE; I will forever be grateful for you all and knowing you!

Through my grieving I have learned to love in a way I never thought possible. I have learned to bless a person whom I believed was wrong and selfish at the time of our break up. I am able to look and think about a woman that I was giving my life for and love her without betterment or resentment or distain but love for her which in the beginning was hard. I am forever grateful for her family and community and life that she showed me to give God your all without holding back. I have learned to grieve and love in this all.

Loving in this is to see how God is working in a situation and the greater purpose of his kingdom. It throws my box out the window and its been amazing so far. Scripture says that Gods thoughts and ways are far beyond ours (Isa. 55:8-9), that we see through a dim glass (1 Cor. 13:12). Sometimes God allows our choices to happen so that as my earthly father allowed me to learn as I make different choices so does my Father in heaven (Heb. 12:6-11). I still don't fully understand God's working in this and don't intend to "figure it out", but I have learned in new ways my identity as his beloved son, to trust him more then ever, know him to be more faithful then ever before, that I need him more then ever and how community is huge in all this.

The past 4 months have been an continual transition, but a good transition. God have never stop loving me or changing me. Grieving and love is all part of the process of living with loss and a God who's in the midst of it all.

Lost in truth.......

What does it mean to be a Christian? Does it mean you always hang with Christians? Do it mean for us stay away from those that don't have faith in Jesus? Do you abstain from what the church says is "sinful"? Do we befriend those that don't believe? Do change culture but be involved in the culture? Do we go out and share the Christian faith? Do we go out pray for healing of people we come into contact with? Do we get involved in ways to change culture and community? I raise these questions which are just a few along with many more to have a look at the contextulazition of Christianity in our cities.

What does this look like living in a foreign land? Being in the world but not of the world? I have to say that Ive been involved and seeing some amazing things happening in Colorado Springs geared towards Christians interweaving into the culture and look of the Springs. Yeshua said, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the word, your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." (John 17:15-19). I say this scripture is taken way to far sometime and misunderstood in ways of contextulaztion of the gospel.

I want to say a couple things in line with this passage.

1) We need to break the Christian bubble

2) We need the truth of God's word

3) We need solid Christian community

4) We need to have clear direction

I bring these up cause I believe the church is lost in truth. The church is so engulfed in truth that we lose sight of how we are to live out truth. We become blind to what truth really means. Its not just for or about Christians but for Christians to take into the world and be light. Truth is more then a mental conception but a practical application. Being light means to not cover your lamp with a basket but to put it on a lamp stand for all to see as they enter the house (Luke 11:33-36). We don't hide our light but use it to guide us to live truth in the eyes of all to see. I have the saying that we are to "create pockets of light" as God did when he created the world in Genesis 1.

How are you creating pockets of light in the world?

What is going on for you to be the lights in the world?

How is the truth being shown in you outside of your Christian bubble?

As we start breaking the bubble its about not canceling your christian friends but befriend those that don't believe, living "in the world" but not being changed by the world as Yeshua says in the passage I mentioned above. Its being in the world and changing the world/culture of where we live. Being a business owner, involved in govt. and so on. Changing the culture is really bringing the kingdom to earth as Yeshua told us to pray (Matthew 6:10). Breaking the Christian bubble means livening differently but still being with others who most would cast aside because they're not in "the bubble" other then "preaching the gospel or feeding them or praying for them, none of which are bad but its a christianize mentality not a kingdom mentality.

I don't say this to condemn but in hope that people will look deep within them selves as have I to serve the King in a world that needs him without "pushing" Christianity upon them but as Martin Luther says to "be little Jesus' to others".

I will touch on the last 3 points and the 1st one a little again but I will do so in a few days with my next blog.

Blessings to you all!

without measure......

So my past two blogs have been somewhat straight forward which is very me. I'm not a beat around the bush kinda guy but I think some solid thought and doctrine into what I've called "word and power ministry" is necessary. I hope I don't come off as having it all together but through a number of years studying scripture, teaching and even just allowing the Spirit to move in me as I personally study scripture, I'd have to say that I think I'm heading the right direction so lets get moving......

Isaiah 61:1-2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who morn"

Luke 4:18-19 says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

These verse are very close to each other in words but very different in directive. One is about Isaiah in the moment but also speaking of Messiah so the prophetic in this verse is huge because its meant to transcend time and place. Both are pointing towards redemption. Isaiah is about God bringing Israel back to her glory as Isaiah says,

              "For Zions sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quite, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see you righteousness  and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give." (Isa. 62:1-2)

Luke is about Messiah bring people back to God but also returning people back to that what they were originally created for as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come. Again, both Isaiah and Luke are redemptive passages and meant to be in that bent in their own ways.

As we look a this we need to see the Church as the means that God works in this world. He gave his Spirit Yeshua says in John 14-16 (among other places in scripture) to anoint, teach, convict, counsel and guide the Church for ministry and lifestyle. John 3:34 says "he gives the Spirit without measure". With all this going on I want to ask you as well as myself a couple very simple questions....

                Do we put a measuring stick to the work and ministry of the Spirit? Or limit him working by allowing our hearts and minds to bind his working?

When we bind the Spirit not cause his inability to work outside of our ability to know and conceive God and his working, but that we can mentally constricted the moving of power in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is more then just a "seal for the day of redemption" (Eph. 1:13-14) or the means to stand before God (Titus 3:4-7), but a continual working out of Yeshua's ministry and the Fathers heart in this world via the Church.

It appears that American Christianity has placed such a strong emphasis on the mental (teaching mostly) and evangelism (mission) that we have deluded the gospel to a mer mental choice and cognitive action. We have simplified the gospel to the point of kicking God the Spirit out of the picture in some ways, none of which I see is good.

If the Church is to be everything she can be then we need to throw off the barriers we have in some different ways.....

1) Remember that the Holy Spirit is like the wind Yeshua says. We can't tell what He going to do but only see the results of what he's done.

2) Lose our mental conception of how God has ALWAYS done things or ALWAYS will do things.

3) Walk by faith, not by sight.

I hope and pray for this to become true for us all in greater measure......

need and placement.....

So after writing my last blog I feel necessary to say a little more on this subject I last blogged about. To have a ministry of  solid doctrinal teaching and the power of the supernatural is not just somewhat as I see happening over night. Its time consuming and careful discernment of truth as taught by God's Spirit and by God's Word. To neglect either I would say as I did in my last post is bad doctrine as is also to lift one as higher then the other.

All that said balance is good and necessary but in all honesty it will not always be there, but sometimes teaching will take the forefront and sometimes it will take the back seat to say a time of praying for healing or prophecy or serving people or feeding the needy. I don't claim to have it all figured out but I do know that if one is neglected we are either really messy or way to structured, both are hurtful for the Church and those we are wanting to know the God we worship.

I said that a ministry or life without the supernatural oriented and/or scripture oriented is like a body without bones. Its just not the way the Church is made to operate or live. Paul the apostle says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking and training in righteousness that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work." The word "God-breathed" is where we understand the doctrine of insperation of the scriptures. Now the thing is Paul only had the teachings of the Law and such and these are what he was pointing to as he said of Timothy that he has "known the scared writing from childhood" (2 Tim. 3:15).

All that said we then see that Peter says of him and Paul also that their words are wisdom from God (2 Peter 3:15). I say all this cause I want to argue that we has possibly lifted the scripture so high that we've lowered the purpose and gift of God's Spirit. Now again I love studying and teaching scripture and see it as highly necessary but only when done properly and carefully for James says not many should become teachers are we are under "stricter judgment" (James 3:1).

1 Cor. 12 says "Now there are a variety or gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are a varieties of services but the same Lord and there are a varieties of activities but the same God who empowers them all in everyone" (4-6)...."Now to each the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (7)...."All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills." (11). The Church of Corinth has issues and I see that in the manifestation and the practical we should and I hope we will heed Paul's warning of love needing to be in the midst of all we do as Christians, wether the practical or the spiritual.

We also see in Romans 12, 1 Peter 4 and Ephesians 4 that we have many other places along with John chapters 14-16 teaching about the NEED AND PLACEMENT of the Spirit of God within the Church (individually and corporately) and not just a subset within and/or to just be a seal for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14) or the one to just inspire scripture but continually within the Church anointing, leading, empowering and illuminating people to greater depths of the gospel of God. I bring up both sides cause we need both in the Church because its for the common good; scripture and power.

All this said I hope we all look at this and seek the Lord for the glory of His name and the making of disciples.

A body without bones.....

Life without Bones. Could you imagine that if had no bones. First off you remove all the structure that is needed for the body to be just that, a body but bones do some really amazing things for us. They protect our organs and give structure to our being. I find it really cool because when you breath your ribs create a partial vacuum that helps pull air into your lungs so you can breathe properly. Without your ribs you would have no way to expand your chest and in a sense you would suffocate and die, plus we all look kinda stupid being just a pile of meat and skin.

Just imagine if this was the church. Well, it kinda is the church cause we for so long are filled with the Word of God but the Holy Spirit has been like the red headed step child of the trinity. I head someone say a few weeks back that most churches sing of the trinity as Father, Son and Holy Bible. What a heresy! Now its all fun till someone gets left out and the game is over. The one Jesus promised has bee left out of the church. I ask myself many times throughout the week a very simple question....If the holy Spirit were removed my ministry and life would I change because of this or go on like nothing happened? This is a very necessary question for all who follow Jesus and look to be Spirit-filled.

Now I love studying and reading scripture, but its only to be done in the inspiring and empowering of the the Spirit of God. When we live in obedience to Jesus and his teachings without the Spirits guidance and empowerment we get caught up in a spirit of religion and works. We end up with a Mark 7:1-12 situation with the traditions of man overruling the truth and meaning of scripture. We are lead by the Spirit into all truth (John 14:16-17, 24) and all scripture is of God's inspiration not mans for the building up of the Church (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) and need no one to teach us but the anointing of the Spirit (1 John 2:27).

Now I'm not excluding the teachers in the church or even interrupting scripture but having a Word and Power ministry is not an either/or but a both/and approach to the work of the Holy Spirit and the need for the fully inspired Holy Scripture. Jesus said "it is necessary that I go" so that we may have his Spirit lead, empower and anoint us into kingdom work. The scripture clearly states that we are to have both/and not either/or.

Just think about the body again, that if we remove either of these we begin to suffocate and will eventually die. Not granted I don't see God as ever allowing the Church to die but we are individual believers will be dead. We will not be living the abundant life but walking around and living this life in the flesh. What I am seeing is God raising up a generation that is hungry for the supernatural, not in a wrong manner but wanting to see all scripture lived out and God's Spirit to awaken dead people to their God and Father who loves them dearly.

I'm writing this from a sprit of care and concern for the church and how she is to live. Jesus said some very specific things like being clothed from on high and having gifts of his Spirit for the building of each other and reaching the world to make disciples. I'm not looking with this blog to teach how as that would take to long, but I urge you to please ask, seek and knock of the Lord who will give the Spirit without measure (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:13; John 3:34).

Let us do this in love, for without it we are worthless and its better to not have all this (1 Cor. 13)!