Category Archives: Walk with Jesus

Spirit Fire Ch. 7: Share the Fire

It started out from watching a Darren Wilson movie that shared about a woman named Heidi Baker who evangelizes in Mozambique, Africa.  She travels from village to village calling the people there to bring forth their sick and blind.  She then invites children to pray with her, and God answers.  Now I’m not saying to get healed you must get prayed over by African orphans, but it stood out to me that if you open your kids up to experience God at such an early age it sets them up for an even greater awareness of Him.  When I think about my own children, I know I want that for them.

This world has been dark ever since the Fall, but Jesus came to be THE Light.  The Bible says some pretty amazing things about what we get to be a part of as children of Light:  Spiritual Gifts, healings, resurrections, demonic deliverances, and other signs and wonders.  Every generation thinks it’s living in the last days, and with the constant barrage of violent and tragic events all over the globe, it’s not hard to see why.  But along with the people in Darren Wilson’s movies, I want more of Him in midst of the chaos.  I don’t want to sit and try to find meaning in how we are doing it all wrong or try to find creative ways to kick a dead horse, but I want to be a part of what He’s doing now.

I want to be so familiar with His presence that when people look at me they see Him.  I want for my wife to be blessed with the opportunity to help others gain His Beauty that she has more than any other woman I have ever known.  I want for my children to have the opportunity to be a part of something more than simply going to church on Sundays and playing video games the rest of the week.  So as I walk this path with my amazing family, we began to go out and “Share the Fire”- the “outreach” version of our Spirit Fire times.

We go out, grab a few $5 gift cards and hit a shopping store.  We have our kids pick the person we are going to bless and off we go.  Betsy is the lead talker and after we give them the card, she asks if there is something we can pray for them about.  Responses have been pretty wild from tears of thankfulness to smiles of joy.  It gives my kids the opportunity to see His power at work through them for others.  To the people who say, “No thank you,” they are free to keep the gift card.  We still pray for them as they leave.

God has given Betsy and I many opportunities all over the world to share His love with people from Mexico to Africa to Hong Kong.  Since our days at Great Lakes Christian College we’ve felt lead to be missionaries, and though we wait for His call to go elsewhere we know for now He has us here.  We seek to live always for Him no matter where.

Spirit Fire Ch. 6: “No Longer A Slumdog”

A couple of months ago I saw an ad on Facebook for a free book about children in Asia titled “No Longer A Slumdog”, written by K.P. Yohannan.  I thought it would be an interesting read because I know people who serve the LORD there, plus it has a forward written by Francis Chan, so I ordered it.  When it finally came in the mail, I set it aside on the shelf next to where I sit for our Spirit Fires, and truth be told, I forgot about it.  Till one day I saw it sitting there and thought to give the first chapter a read.  Boy, I’m glad I did.  As I read the stories about the hundreds of millions of children that suffer in this world, and about the work of the Spirit and the light God brings to such places, I quickly thought about my own children and how invaluable it would be for them to learn and hear about it.  Most of the children mentioned in the book are around their age of 7 so it seemed even more appropriate for my kids to hear about them during this stage of their lives.

In our beginning prayer time, we talk about our Treasure Rooms which are filled with all kinds of riches from God.  When reading Yohannan’s book, I spoke to them of a rare jewel of Wisdom called Perspective, and each page of his book was loaded with it.  Perspective provides for us an opportunity to value others and ourselves, and it is something every child and adult in every culture needs.  With it we take a step out of our own shoes with our needs and wants and step into another’s and hear of even greater needs and in that trade off, a new need awakens, a need to help and do something about it.  A need to love.

Yohannen’s book provides a personal view into the dark streets of cities like Bombay and what daily life is like there for the Dalit children and communities.  Children who don’t know the love of God, let alone the many who don’t even know the love of a parent.  The harshness of dealing with a pimp who knows a maimed child makes more money begging than a healthy one is contrasted by the blinding glory of God’s redemptive love as the life of a violent child changes to that of a loving child becoming a blessing to his community.  Yohannan shares many stories of hope and joy amidst the dark, each one of these stories is a seed for my children; a seed I know that will grow in the garden of their hearts, souls, and minds.

Last night we had our recap discussion time.  Honestly, my kids couldn’t follow many of the questions I asked like:  “So what did we learn about the Jewel of Perspective?”  But when I asked them about specifics in the book, they couldn’t stop talking about the children we read about.

I know this almost sounds like a commercial, but to get the info out plain and simple here it is:  “No Longer A Slumdog” written by K.P. Yohannan was a perfect book for my family to read and talk about together.  I look forward to the ways its seeds will impact my kids and myself in the days to come.

You Are The Only

LORD thank You! Nothing is hidden from You. There is no place to hide from You. None can trick or deceive You. There is no mass media that can jade Your understanding. No politician can persuade You. No amount of reward can bribe You.

Your Word separates between bone and marrow. You know us completely, You are the only One who does.

And You love us.

Psalm 139, Hebrews 4:12, John 3:16

A Note to Followers of the Way in our Digital Social World

Dear Digital People in Christ,

I know it’s tempting to look at and read what others are saying, or shouting even, but look instead at what He’s doing. Breathe it in.

But they are killing babies! He knows. Shouldn’t we do something? Yes, mourn and love.

But they are saying God doesn’t exist and that we came from monkeys! He knows. Shouldn’t we do something? Yes, teach in love.

But they are making it ok to do what most animals don’t even do! He knows. Shouldn’t we do something? Yes, pray and love.

But… He knows. Shouldn’t we…? Yes, follow Him.

Those Aren’t Cute, Cuddly, Little Baby Panda Bears

During my time in East Tennessee, a friend showed me the beautiful waterfall called Laurel Falls out in Dennis Cove of Carter County.  I returned to it as often as I could showing it to friends, family, and even to the kids in my Youth Group.  One thing that I saw there has always stayed in the back of my mind and was a bit of a mystery to me.

Laurel Falls is about 30 ft. wide if my memory serves me correct.  On times when we had enough rain, the falls would cover the full width.  Friends of mine and I would walk out in it.  I’d lay back against the rock and let the water fall over me, it was awesome.  One time I looked down at my arm to watch the water and I noticed a little bug on me.  The water gushed over it but it stayed right where it was.  I lifted my arm up out of the water and flicked it off, then I began to see more of them.  They were all over the rocks.  I looked at them very closely for a while and saw that they didn’t move much, and when they did, it was only a step or two.  I even tried to push them around a little but the water never carried them away, they were so close to the rocks it had no effect.  In fact, as I watched and experimented like a little kid, it seemed it was the weight of the water that held them in place.  A little bit of research later revealed that they were probably mayflies.  They have gills that protrude from their sides to grab at the oxygen flowing over the falls.

It’s easy for me to see bugs as the bad guy.  If they were cute, cuddly, little baby panda bears, I’d be like, “Ah look at them, so strong, so resilient,” and feel lead to write about perseverance or something.  However, they weren’t cute and cuddly, they were creepy.  So it leads me to think of things that we can’t shake even in times of extreme beauty like Laurel Falls.

These days I think of worship services.  During these times like a waterfall, we can experience such an outpouring of His goodness that we become open to His healing, deliverance, and revelation.  But distractions come in many forms:  from technology- feedback in the mics, to ego- pre-madonna leaders, from temptations- short skirts, to stomach pains- lunchtime, these little bugs stick around and can divert our thoughts sucking out all of the oxygen if we let them.

Colossians 3:2 says for us to, “Set your minds on things above”.  For me in the waterfall, I noticed the bugs but chose to not let them take away from my awesome time in His creation.  I still put my head in the waterfall knowing I may get some in my hair.  I still jumped in the pool below knowing there were probably worse things in there.  I still had a blast and took a good shower when I got home, which in effect lived out Colossians 3:5, putting all those bugs to death.

I loved exploring that waterfall, it was for me a time of worship, little bugs included.  When I kept my mind on why I was there, “on things above”, the fun of the falls was so great I hardly noticed those little oxygen suckers.

Evangelism: The Tug of War

Evangelism sometimes feels like a tug of war to me.  My own insecurities mixed with a desire to be polite and not intrude or cause an inconvenience creates a rotten mix that in many ways becomes the opposing force.  Yes, I know salvation is more important than manners and in many ways, it’s those rude instances that people remember more.  A story I was told by a professor reminds me of this:

A mentally handicapped child was telling people about Jesus.  One person he spoke with was the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation.  The rich man didn’t want anything to do with Jesus, so the child said, “Fine, go to Hell then.”  As the story goes, the rich man went home and for days couldn’t get the mentally handicapped child out of his head.  Eventually, he came to Christ.

Now when I heard this story I was so relieved.  It isn’t always about some cookie-cutter approach to ministry.  Evangelism is alive, it breathes, it shocks, but most of all it loves.  It becomes a goal not to strangle it in the panic.  Our minds get attached rather quickly and when the words come out all jumbly, we can feel it’s our fault if they go to Hell.  For someone in those shoes, I would say to trust in Him.

This brings me to the other Tug-of-War, the real one.  Here’s the secret, know the Holy Spirit.  The more you do, the easier of a flow it becomes.  He guides your eyes and covers your heart; He shields your thoughts and directs your steps.  I know of people who meet together with no plan other than to go out there into the harvest.  They meet, they pray, and they go.  Healings, deliverances, and salvations follow them.  You don’t have to know everything, but you do need to know Him because He is everything.

Out there, it seems Satan has one goal:  Keep people from knowing the love of God.  Everything can be understood that simply, John 3:16 style.  Now how you communicate that is where the rubber meets the road.

Years ago, my brother took me to Scotland.  At one of the youth hostels I got into a conversation with another traveler and the hour became late.  He was so hungry for Jesus, I didn’t think about anything else other than answering his questions to the best of my ability.  Soon the others in our room told us to shut-up.  What works for some will not work for others.  Be sensitive to the Spirit, be aware that at times He will guide your tongue before you even know it.  Don’t take the reins back, let Him flow.

The real Tug-of-War is when you are in the thick of it and you become intensely aware of the demons and the lies the person has embraced over the years.  Your words pull their soul from the clutches of darkness into His wonderful light.  Remember you’re on a team, angels work with you, the Holy Spirit is within you.  Work with your team, not against them.

What does that look like?  I don’t know for everyone, but ultimately I would say it is about putting yourself aside until He tells you to take it back up again.

The only way to get good at evangelism is to do it.  Books can strangle it, classes can castrate it, you have to listen to the Spirit and follow.  Let your ignorance free you to trust.

-Brian

Spirit Fire Ch. 4: More Family Time in God’s Word

We finished reading through Revelation, wow what a time that was!  We read about the end of the world and the salvation of God’s children.  We read how Jesus will come again to bring an end to suffering and pain.   We even took a look around in the heavenly courts and saw some strange creatures.  Each night we reviewed the major points we found along the way, an example is the 7 churches.  We would name them and a word about what was written to them.  If you think of Revelation as a painting, the first three chapters create a great background for the rest of the book.

After we finished Revelation we went into Mark.  So far in the past years, we’ve gone through Acts exploring the power we’ve been given, Revelation for the victory, Proverbs (which we are still in) for the Wisdom, and now Mark for Jesus.  Honestly, there’s no rhyme or reason to the order that I know of, but I do know paths converged for a moment when about halfway through Acts, Pastor Kevin from my church began taking us through it on Sundays.  That was cool.  Then Bill Johnson, another leader I respect, mentioned wisdom and power being for the believer when we were in both Proverbs and Acts.  Both emboldened me for our Spirit Fires and what I wanted for my kids.

The intro for Mark is easy.

Leader:  “Who wants Jesus to be in their treasure room?”

All:  “Meeeee!!!  I dooooo!!!”

Leader:  “Good, I have a book here called _____”

Kids:  “Mark!”

Leader:  “Written by _____”

Kids:  “Mark!!”

Leader:  “To teach us about ______”

Kids:  “Jesus!!!”

We review by calling out one thing that we’ve already read, we’re at the end of chapter 4, and by each of us naming one of the disciples.  Then I read all their names from Mark 3:16-19.

We are still making our way through the book of Proverbs on the alternate nights.  We’ve added a few more things to the intro as we’ve come across new types of Proverbs, two of which are the “Coin” and the “This and more” proverbs.  My kids’ favorite is the “Coin” proverb.  We call them “Coin” because they have two sides saying the same thing but from different viewpoints often in reference to comparing the wicked and the righteous.  My kids like the word that reveals the other side, “but”.

So we say:

Me:  “Some proverbs are like a _____.”  And then I hold my hand out flat.

Kids:  “Coin!”

Me:  “One side talks about the _______.”

Kids:  “Righteous!”

Me:  “The other side talks about the _______.”

Kids:  “Wicked!”

Me:  “And what word flips it?”

Kids:  “But!” Their favorite part.  Then I flip my hand over making a spank sound to emphasize it.

For example:

15:29 “The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”.

The LORD’s proximity toward the wicked means the same thing as His toward the righteous.  For one side to go up, like a teeter-totter, the other has to come down.  If God is near one then that means He is far from the other.  He isn’t near them both in regards to His favor.

Another type of Proverb is “This and more”.  Basically, this type of Proverb adds to its point by increasing it, not contrasting it like the “coin”; hence the different conjunctions “but” vs. “and”.

For this one we say:

Me:  “Other proverbs are a ‘This and ____.”

Kids:  “More!”

For example:

14:26 “He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.”

The “this” is “He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress”.   A quick explanation of this is that we who fear the LORD obey Him, and we who obey Him receive strength and power to accomplish what He is calling us to do.  Side note:  This reminds me of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:24-27.  The “and more” is the second half of the proverb furthering the original point to providing for the children.  So basically our “fear” of God is not just for us, but it’s for those under our care, namely, our kids.  My children liked hearing the good things that are coming their way, especially when I explain refuge means a huge castle.

I try to make the names for the proverbs easy so we can grasp the form which lends itself to opening the door to explore the meaning.  So that’s why she swallowed the fly.  🙂

-Brian

Color It In

I learn so much about the Father’s love for me from my kids!

The other day, my husband drew a picture for my daughter to color in.  She eagerly skipped off to her crayons and filled it with pretty colors.  When her masterpiece was complete, she ran to him yelling, “Daddy, Daddy!  Look what I made!” He gushed praises over her wonderful picture, noting each detail of beautiful color.  He gave her full credit for the picture, never taking personal credit for being the original artist – his joy was in sharing her happiness.

Why am I not more like that with my Heavenly Father?  He gives me opportunities to do wonderful things for Him and for some reason, my usual response is pretty dorky.  “Thank you, Oh Father, for giving me the honor of serving You…” which isn’t a bad response but it isn’t one that a normal kid would say to their loving Dad.  My daughter didn’t timidly bow before my husband to present him with her picture – she ran to him, proudly shoving the paper in his face in expectation of his highest compliments.  I know that God loves me more than my husband loves our daughter, so I need to start acting like it!

In Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus instructs us to become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  When kids are in a home that is filled with love, they are confident of their parent’s feelings for them.  They don’t know any better than to expect full affection and praise from their mom and dad.  They aren’t ashamed to parade their accomplishments in front of their parents because they know that no matter what, their parents will love their attempts.  Their scribbles are always brilliant.  The Kingdom of Heaven is our true home, and we are so greatly loved that Jesus gave His life for us to live there.

I know that God is responsible for everything good that happens in my life.  I know that He sets up opportunities for me to glorify Him and the Holy Spirit is the One Who fills me with the ability to accomplish them.  He did all the work, but He’s my loving Dad Who wants to celebrate with me, gushing love over me, noting each detail of my attempts at coloring in His picture.

Let’s get our crayons out because our Father has something great for us to color in today!

Hunt of the Woodpecker

Out in my woods God showed me many things.  Things within me and things around me.  One time He wanted to teach me about listening.  As I walked the trail, I heard the distant sound of a woodpecker pounding away on a tree.  He told me to look down and follow.  So I did, no matter where it lead me, and no matter what I had to walk through to do it.

I only looked at the ground straight in front of me, just enough for the next step.  The tapping got louder as I followed.  I tried to keep silent so as not to disturb anything.  Finally my search was over as my quest brought me to the foot of a tree; the hammering continued directly above me.  I looked up and there he was digging for his next meal.

There is an almost endless amount of wisdom in that experience, and even now 20+ years later, I learn new things from it.  Back then, He showed me I can follow best with my ears.  If I would have tried to follow with my eyes, I would have tripped and scared the bird.  Only by using my ears was I allowed to make it to him.

Today, I think about my walk with Jesus.  If I would have used my eyes during different times of my life, I would have tripped and been like the seed sown among thorns, Mark 4:18-19.  The circumstances that surrounded me would have choked me, making me unfruitful.  But only by listening to His voice am I able to pass through as He did amidst an angry crowd in Luke 4:30.

So go ahead, go outside.  Listen for the knocking and follow.  Join the hunt of that Divine Woodpecker.  Let His voice guide you one step at a time, Proverbs 16:9.  It was Jesus’ obedience to the will of the Father that brought Him to the knocking on the cross, Luke 22:42.  He fulfilled that path opening the door of salvation for us all, so that in the end, we would receive it, 1 Peter 1:9.

-Brian

Where’s the Sunshine?

“Where’s the sunshine?” a person asked me as they were walking outside.  “Just behind the clouds,” I replied.

This is another instance of my mouth acting faster than my brain… but once my “thinker” caught up, I thought about how often we ask that question about Jesus.  Some days feel like Jesus just isn’t around.  We get caught in the clouds of whatever is going on and we wonder, “Where’s the Son-shine?”

One of my friends told me that she used to pray that God would make the sun shine in her day until He told her that the sun is always shining… instead she should pray for the clouds to go away.

This totally changed the way I pray.  I no longer ask Him to be with me because He has never left me (Deut. 31:6, Josh. 1:5, Heb.13:5)).  Instead, I thank Him for always being with me and ask Him to open my eyes to His Presence and His blessings for me throughout the day.  I don’t have to ask for something He’s already given me – His will is for constant fellowship with me and He has nothing but good things to give me.  I simply need to recognize Him, receive His gifts, and glorify Him with thanksgiving!

Cloudy days aren’t the same to me anymore, now that I’ve realized where the Son is.  He’s just behind the clouds.  Ask Him to make them go away.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39

-Betsy