Metemorphosis

2011-02-05T04:37:00.001-08:00

http://digitaulis.com/present.php

2011-02-03T13:59:00.001-08:00

http://publiservis.net/present.php

2011-02-01T03:41:00.001-08:00

http://annonce-mail.com/congratulations.php

2011-01-30T07:04:00.001-08:00

http://lunulas.com/perfection.php

2011-01-29T07:12:00.001-08:00

http://rolandobruno.com.ar/perfection.php

Malachi 4:6

2009-06-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Malachi 4:6
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children...
The great restoration is in the family. Before the great and dreadful
day of the Lord. God is in the business of restoration and he is
rstoring families and in that restoration the world will see who He is
and His love for the people. The effect of the restoration will make a
great light in very dark places that will draw people into the
presence like a moth is drawn to the light even to it's death, people
will be drawn to the light of God even to their own death in the
flesh. They will become new creatures in Christ and spread his light
because he is in them and in their lives. Restoration is key to
bringing new light. When a bunch of lights come together they make one
great light they push out the darkness.

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Change, Change, Transformation

2009-05-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

It is a time of change and a time of new things. The world is changing everyday and people's lives are constantly moving. I hate change, I love things to stay predictable and the same. God is calling his Church to change and transformation. The church is staying the same and staying lukewarm. It is time for transformation in the church, it is time to move past our sameness. I want to learn to change.

What if

2009-05-21T12:46:00.001-07:00

What if the church grew and took over schools and cities with a bunch
of youth? What if the end of gen x finally stepped up and fulfilled
our callings? What if now that we are grown up and working we fulfill
the destiny that was prophecyed over us? Do you remember being in high
school and being told we were the generation that will turn the world
upside down? I remember hearing that time after time and yet here we
are and the world is worse than it was. I am sick of letting others
take our destiny. So this is a call the remnant of gen x serving the
Lord let's take back our generation and then fight for our younger
brothers and sisters in the Lord and let's work with the new
generation to change the world and the church forever

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Face of Church

2009-05-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of church. Jonice is waiting for us to get back. We were gone maybe 15 minutes to get starbucks before bible study started. She was anxious for us to get back and was standing waiting for us when we got back to the house. Isn't she cute though. Under this face is the face of the new church. They are hungry for attention and love and want it more than anything. If we are able to pour out God's love then they will come and they will bring their friends. Its all about getting them to experience the love of God.

Leadership From Within

2009-04-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

When I was in church today the pastor was talking about raising up leadership from with when working with those who are easy to fall. He spoke about a ministry in which they are associated with a large denomination that has two major churches nearby within that ministry and yet he has to raise people up from within because no one from the other churches will help. It struck me because I think it is key to raise up leaders from within because they have a credibility with the people. Yes have some from the outside but they need more from the inside. Yes they will fall and mess up but they can get back up and go again. Then they can run the race and bring in others because the are not perfect. My goal is to build up leaders from within so that I am no longer needed.

Dry Bones

2009-01-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

So I was worshiping during prayer this morning at the church and the Lord just brought to my mind the dry bones in Ezekiel. So I turned to Ezekiel 37:1-10, that's where you find the story of the dry bones, so here it is. Ezekiel 37:1-10 "1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army." (NKJV)

Ok so I know we have heard this story in church and so often it stops there with the bones coming alive. This morning teh Lord prompted me to read a little farther and read through 14. So I am going to include that as well and teh bold is added by me.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’”

Did you see that? Their hope was lost. Then I saw a vision of the church and in the church there were those who were alive and mixed in were dry bones and no one seemed to notice that there were dry bones in the church. Then the Lord quickened me and my heart broke because I saw tht our churches are full of people who have lost their hope and no one has even noticed that they have become the dry bones. We need to pray that God opens our eyes to see these people who have lost hope because until we ask to see them with His eyes we will not see the dry bones in the church. How can we prophesy to the dry bones in the world when we can not even see the ones sitting next to us in church week after week. The church needs to be the bearers of hope. The way the dry bones live is the Spirit of God. We need to allow the Spirit to come in our lives so that we can be alive. We need to bring teh Spirit of God to those who do not know Him so they can live. The Spirit is a life or death issues. How can we let people die?

My heart hurts

2008-12-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

Have you ever felt like someone took your heart, ripped it out and the twisted it like crazy and then put it back inside you. Thats what my heart feels like. No its not because of some guy breaking my heart. Its because of God breaking my heart even more for his people. I can't even walk through the mall and not feel the pain and hurt all around me and my heart breaks and it actually hurts, like for reals not just spiritually. So I do the only thing I know how to do, I pray. That was yesterday but my heart still hurts because i constantly come in contact with people that are hurting.

Accountability , integrity, character

2008-12-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was praying the Lord spoke these words to me.
People are praying for revival but they forget that they need to learn
to become accountable for their actions and build integrity because
without integrity there is no character. Revivals come and go and
often it's because sin issues are not dealt with.

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Grrr

2008-10-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ok so that may sound stupid but I am getting so pissed off at Satan. Normally he just gets on my nerves and bugs me but right now I am at this point where I am just pissed. That may sound weird or crazy but I want to take Satan outside and throw down. Why have I moved to this point you may ask? I have been hearing so many of my sisters in the Lord and other people who are being fed this bunch of lies and are falling for it. I am sick of it!!!!!! I can not handle all of this crazy stuff with people that believe these lies that do not make any logic. Not pretty enough or good enough or smart or loved or wanted. So just beware, the fire is already in my eyes and I am already causing some damage but I am just warming up....

Being Church

2008-10-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Pastor Carl was speaking at Beyond Sunday, for those who do not know he is the founding director of Master's Commission Fresno. He is not there anymore and teh program has since changed its name to Mission California. anyways back to my point, He was talking about being the church and how important it is to be the church. I have been thinking about this fo awhile and some of the things he said really struck a chord in my spirit. He stated that planting church means saying that you are not going to bail. That you will be in it with the person till the end. That does not always mean forever, but it means for the time that it is appointed for them to be in your life and you in theirs. There are some people tat you will be with and connected with forever. There are others for a short time, maybe a day, a week, a month and so on. This was interesting because it seems like this has been a theme that God has been speaking to me and to other people. It seems to me that the church had had this habit of giving up o people with the slightest bit of trouble and that is not what God intended. Just a rant...

Adoption

2008-10-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday I was at a prayer meeting and one of the people said that we need to be walking in the spirit of adoption and acting as mothers and fathers instead so much of preachers and teachers. Immediately the Lord quickened me to remember what I always tell my children on my caseload and their families. Adoption is forever. Are we willing to make that kind of commitment to people. Are we willing t say I am going to be by your side forever. Are we willing to say that even when I don't like what you are telling me I am going to be by your side and I am going to still love you? What if the church did make these kinds of commitment? What if the church did stand y people even when they were doing dumb things and said I still love you? Things could get crazy....

Rain!!!

2008-10-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

So today we went to this event in Walnut called Outcry to pray for Calfornia and all the stuf going on here. In the process of driving up the hill to Beaumont to meet the people I was going the sky was really cloudy and I said It is going to rain hard. Now at the time I was kinda thinking spiritual and kinda thinking literally. So as I am driving out with my friends in my car it starts to sprinkle and i thought, Good some rain I'm not crazy. Then as we get out there it is raining harder, more steady and I continue thinking it was just a literal thing. Then something crazy happens in church, we are in there and all of a sudden it sounds like the heavens opened up and there was a downpour outside. This continued for awhile, so me being someone that loves to play in the rain decided I was going outside to see if it was still pouring. I go outside and it is not raining, not at all, in fact the sun had come out and we had been inside long enough that the ground was dry. At that time my spirit was quickened, and kinda gave me this see I told you it was spiritual. I then realized that God is about to open up the heavens and downpour on us, and it is up to us what we get, blessings or punishment. Just made me think and cry out more for the people...

Vulnerable

2008-09-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

So last night I was at prayer and God did something. I was called over to be prayed for by the youth pastor (I should specify that it was a youth group prayer meeting) and he began to pray and speak over me. He said that I need to get back on the operating table and let God finish the healing that he needs to do in me. Funny thing about this is I can remember being n intern at MCA and being on the operating table and constantly getting on and off. Now here is the problem I do not know how to let God finish the healing he has already begun. I don't know how to be vulnerable and show who I really am and let people see what is actually going on in me. So to those that read my blog I need some help.

My Heart Hurts

2008-09-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Last night my heart hurt... not because of anything in my own life but for some of my sisters in the Lord. You see God has given me this wonderful gift where I feel (literally feel) the heart break of those around me. I have just felt this heartache for my sisters because I know there is so much going on and they are hurting but are afraid to ask for help. So now my heart hurts for them. I have to pray and be there for them. It is time to battle for them, because they cannot battle this on their own. Just a thought... or a rambling... let me know what you think...

2008-09-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Planting a church? Transforming lives? Working outside the box? What does this all mean? So I realized that I no longer can be content to go to church and do church as usual. I cannot just sit in another worship service unless something drastic changes. What do I mean? Unless the church has love saturating the people then what is the point? The bible says that they will know we are His disciples one for another. If we cannot show our love for one another than what are we doing? If the world can't see Gods love in us then what do they see? We need to have love for one another!
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Vision

2008-09-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

So for awhile I have been playing with the idea that perhaps I should get a non profit status for this church I am planting. I know that churches are considered to be non profit organizations but when you get a 503 c status you get a special number. People are more willing to give money and items to organizations that have a tax id as a non profit. Organizations are a lot less likely to give money to churches but when it is presented as a non profit agency working to empower people to transform their lives. I have a goal to have homes or apartments where families can live while they can get on their feet. In the process of doing this they will be in a place where the love of God is permeating every part of their lives. By giving people the option to focus on more than keeping the roof over their head they can focus on learning about God and transforming their lives for the good. They can have the ability to go after their dreams and helping people achieve their dreams you touch them in a different and special way that has more impact. Just some undeveloped ideas....

What is Church?

2008-08-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

So today I sat in on a leadership meeting of Beyond Sunday and they were discussing narrowing their focus down to three things. What did they decide to narrow their focus on? That would just be too easy if I told you, ask one of the it's their vision after all and they can explain it better than me. However; in the course of the discussion about the focus the issue came up that most of their church is related or really close friends that are family. Now this brought up potential problems because of how close everyone is that it would be hard for others to join the group. However; if we take this concept to the church in Acts we see a very different story. In acts everyone was together every day and they shared everything and ate together. At that point when you spend that much time with people you begin to feel like family. A prime example of this is at Mission California, by the end of the year, the students have a family feel. yes people have their disagreements and issues but in the end its like our brothers and sisters. Yet when the new year starts more people are added to the family, because more people are added to the constant of life and they just become like family. So perhaps a church that is like family is not so bad at all. What if people came to church and were treated like family? Like a healthy family that does not hit when there is conflict or yell or run away but that processes conflicts and other issues using God. What if the love one for another was so evident in the church that people would come and see that God has a strong love for them and how to love. If the church was family then others would see what family should look like and begin to bring that home and families could begin he process of healing from the generations of hurt that they have seen for so long. Maybe then will divorce rates in the church go down... Just my own ramblings.

Priorities

2008-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

These pictures are some people that have a special place in my heart. Aren't they cute? I just can't wait to see what God is going to do in them and through them. Its exciting to see God at work.

Changes

2008-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

It is a new season in my life... there are so many changes and change is scary. This weekend I am leaving my best friend and sister at Mission California. Mission California is an amazing program and the staff are some of my best friends and spiritual parents. I love being around them because I know that I can be me, I can be who I am and talk about what most people would consider to be crazy. Now I leave my best friend, and only close friend I had near me (location wise) here in Fresno. I know that God has called her to be here and begin a new journey in her life. It is time for her to become the amazing woman of God that she is called to be. However; inside I want t be selfish and just take her back with me so that I can have my best friend near me. There is this constant conflict in me between me (my flesh) and my spirit because I know that it is time for her to be here and me to be there. Next as of Friday the 22nd I am no longer a part of Teen Blaze. I had been feeling it coming for awhile and God gave me the release that it was time to go. The last two weeks I was there I felt like an outsider, like I was not really there at all. I had already had my own feels like I was not supposed to be there but God confirmed it and I spoke with the pastor and let him know and He released me and gave his blessing. I am now in theory with no place to call home churchwise, and it is scary. I go to a church not to far away from where I live or work. I love being with their people and I go to their youth service and to their small group when I can. However; God has already told me not to set root there because that is not going to be my home. God has showed me that I need to re-prioritize my life and that means that more changes are to come...

Ministry Vision So Far...

2008-08-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am working on my ministry vision stuff for my church plant and I need some feedback. Let me know what you think or spots or things I should change wording or if something sounds stupid..

Church is no longer a place where people can go and have a service and eat and socialize. The Church as a whole has spent too longer relaxing and being content with the status quo that we have left people out. I believe that the Church does some great and amazing things for the Church and their people. Picnics, barbeques, potlucks, and helping each other out are great and wonderful things but sometimes we forget people. God has given me a passion for the forgotten and left behind. A passion for those who got dropped by well meaning people in such a hurry to get more souls for the kingdom that they dropped what was in their hand. In the Bible the way that people took care of the poor was that they allowed them to glean from their harvest field after they had gone through and harvested all that they wanted. Sometimes they missed some good harvest because they just did not see it, and sometime it was not ready at the time of the harvest, sometimes is may have been bruised or not top quality and sometimes stuff fell out of the basket because they were in such a hurry that they dropped things. God does not want these forgotten ones to be left behind. He has given me a passion to go back and pick up the gleanings. The people in the harvest of gleanings may be broken and bruised and damaged but God still loves them and wants them in his kingdom.

People that are bruised and broken and damaged do not always fit in with the regular Church, sometimes it takes longer for them to understand and to change into who God is calling them to be. Sometimes God works with them differently then with people that were raised in church or have homes that work as an incubator for God’s Spirit to work. Years of abuse take more than just one day in church for God to change the person and make them whole. For some people it can take years to get through the layers of protection that they have put up to get to who they are. It takes patience to be willing to work through it all and to love them no matter what. The people who are forgotten about need more than brotherly love. They need people that are willing to have that unconditional love that says “I know you made a mistake but that was the past and now its time to move on.” They need people that are willing to love even though it hurts. God shows his unconditional love to us and some people understand that concept. The forgotten people cannot grasp this concept because there is no history of people sticking by them and saying I am not leaving you. People that fight for them when no one else will. Therefore they need people that are willing to be a vessel of this agape love that stands by them and fights for them. That says I am not leaving you.

The battle is raging for the hearts of men, women, youth and children and unless people stand up and say I am going to fight for them, they will be lost to the enemy. Its time for those people that have a passion for these forgotten ones to fight for them, they are our sisters and brothers in the Lord. I know I am not letting any of my sisters and brothers go down without a fight and without giving them a place to say “sanctuary”. A place where the enemy cannot take them out and kill them. In the medieval times people could go into the church and claim sanctuary and their accusers could not enter and take them to judgment. People need sanctuary now from Satan, even if it’s a brief moment to breath and rest before going on.

This new church is going to be called Metamorphosis because we will focus on transforming lives one day at a time. A place of safety, much like the cocoon a caterpillar goes into that protects it as it becomes a butterfly, so the church needs to be the cocoon that protects the people as they become who God has called them to be. Also metamorphosis because, we are not looking to change only the way a person looks but the inside of them. A tadpole also goes through a metamorphosis in which it goes from being a creature that must live in water and swim to being a creature that can live on land near the water. Metamorphosis is not an instant thing, it is a process much like our walk with God. We are metamorphosis.

How Close

2008-06-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

Last night at church one of the kids was acting up (suprise suprise my precious angel see the pic) and I had to pull her into the office and I told her I was going to take her home early and she started to cry, loudly stating that she did not want to go home, I had to spend some time talking with he to calm her down, and I gave in and let her stay with the promise that she had to behave. So here comes the good stuff.

While my little angel was sitting next to me she laid her head on me and fell asleep to my breathing patterns. Now I learned somewhere that when you start to breath slowly it can cause others to do the same thing. So as I breathed slowly and she laid her head on me she fell asleep right there in church. She was so comfortable falling asleep right there that she even began to snore. (this brings out the question which is worse a running around child or a snoring child) So as I gently told her she was snoring and she would stop and then go back to it.

Then I began to think, God wants us to be that close to him that we would lay our head on his chest and fall asleep to his heartbeat and breath. Could you imagine if we were that close to God that we fell asleep in his presence to his breathing patterns and heartbeat?

Laughter Is Good Medicine

2008-05-28T06:33:00.001-07:00

Laugher is good medicine even though it hurts. Last night I was talking to a friend on the phone when out of no where I got the giggles. I could not stop laughing for over half an hour. It made me be in such a good mood afterwards though that it was cool. The problems with laughing for that long, one it was like 11 at night and I was trying to go to bed and two it is really hard to breath when you are laughing that much and three my stomach and mouth hurt at the end of it. So yes Laughter is good medicine. We will see how the day goes today.

And The Walls Come Tumbling Down

2008-05-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

So the other day I decided that it was time to break down some walls and allow people into my life. Let me tell you that this is not an easy process. Some walls are not that bad, you know the outer edge ones that are just brick. The problems is that the closer the wall is to me the more fortified it has become over time. Those that are closest to me are no longer brick but steel that is 2 feet deep that cannot be penetrated. Yet God has called me to take down these walls. I am trying this concept of taking down the walls and I know it is going to be a hard process but how can I reach people when I can't let them reach me. So I decided to knock down some walls the other day. We shall see how this goes.

Why Me?

2008-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever sat and wondered God why me? Why did you give this crazy vision to me? Why couldn't you give it to that person over there, they are smarter and way better? That is the thought process that my mind is going through right now. So yeah

Church

2008-04-13T17:48:00.001-07:00

What if we took all of the standards we have set up for the church and threw them all out. What if we took eveything that we know church to be and put it to the side and started with soething completely different and new? What if people came because they were just curious to see what their friends were talking about? What if the church didn’t have a banner outside saying here we are? What if it was a constant moving organism and functioned much like the underground churches? What if people just knew who to ask where to meet the next time? What if the church didn’t take an ad out in the paper? What if the church ust sat down with people were the are and built relationship for the sake of building relationship? What if there was no hidden agenda to bring the heathens to God? What if our focus and our agenda was not to convert the world to Christianity? What if our agenda was to be the church and show the love of God in our everyday life? What if our agenda was to show Jesus to the world?

Why?

2008-04-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Why is it that at church you can be in a room full of people and be all alone?
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The Agape Standard

2008-04-07T21:54:00.001-07:00

What if the church set a new standard of loving one another? What if the church decided to undertake setting the standard of loving one another to agape love? What would the church look like if the focused on loving people with agape or unconditional love? Would churches be splitting? Would people feel unloved and unwanted in the church? What if instead of focusing on liking the people in the church and trying to be like Jesus in their life, in the way we see it, we started just loving on people with God’s agape love? The love that says, it doesn’t matter what your past if and what you issues are. The love that says I know you are probably going to hurt me and you are probably going to gossip and make stuff up, but I am going to love you in spite of all of that. I am going to try and show God’s love to you. Would churches be growing? Would the World freak out? It says in the Bible that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. So why is it that there is so much backbiting and gossipping and lying and hurting going on in the church? This needs to be changed, so my challenge is to set the Agape standard.

Discover Church

2008-04-04T22:31:00.001-07:00

So, as many people know I am starting a church and today I was thinking about all of the things that I need to figure out. Things like what is my mission and vision, do I am a team to help me, where am I going to do this church thing? In this process I began to think what if the church was a living breathing organism? What if the church met somewhere different every time and people just came via word of mouth through relationship that was built. What if the church was not so caught up with doing the church thing and focused on being the church. What if church came naturally through relationship with people and people just came together and prayed and studied the word and did not depend on some person preaching but instead teaching and discussing. What if the focus was love... Things could get crazy

Love on Purpose

2008-04-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been reading books like crazy and when I go to Berean I have to try really hard not to buy every book in the emergent voices section because everything looks so interesting to me. However lately I have been reading just a couple of books. Through everything I have read I have come to the conclusions that the church needs to love God and Love one another on purpose. What I mean is to not just say that you love people and that you want to see them be blessed but to actually spend the time to build the relationship with them, the one that says no matter what happens I am here. I had a conversation with a girl at my church recently and she could not understand why I would spend time with her, even though she has all these issues and she has so much drama. I explained that none of that matters to me. Let me explain further... I do not care how many issues a person has or how much drama is in their life, I am still going to make the time to love through the issues and drama because then Jesus will shine through me in a real way and not just some I am a Christian T-Shirt. Anyways enough of the ramblings

Love

2008-03-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

The church is this fast moving organism that is constanty tring to make things better. They make commitees and form ministires for all types of people, trying anything that they can to get a church and to reach people. They start and Youth ministry, a college ministry, a singles ministry a children's ministry... the list goes on forever. People spend so much time focused on building a ministry and making up a plan and a strategy that they forget about the people that they are trying to each. They spend every minute planning how to reach these people and then strategically "ministering" to the people and they forget that all they need is to love the people. I am sick of all this strategy and planning. What if we just went to people and sowed them love. What if instead of separating everyone into their own ministries and places, everyone stayed together and learned together how to love God and Love people.

If you have not already heard, I have decided that my new focus in church is to love God and to love people. I do not care if there is a youth ministry or a singles ministry or a children's ministry. If we all must love God and love people the rest kinda of falls into place. The most important commandments in the Bible are Love the Lord you God with all you heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. ust some food for thought

2008-02-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

I want more. I need more of God. I am sick of the what people think is enough. It is not enough I need more. I am hungrier for more of God. I want to know God on a different level. I want to know God intimatly. I want to have my heartbeat be the same as his and my breaths to be the same. I want to be so close the my heartbeat and breathing just go in line with God's.

Misfits

2008-02-01T19:46:00.001-08:00

Ever feel like a misfit in the church? Like you don't fit right with the church? Like you are a piece of a different puzzle that keeps trying to fit in the puzzle you are with?

When I was little we would constantly lose puzzle pieces because all of us would be trying to each do a different puzzle and the pieces would mix together and I would have some pieces from both my sisters puzzles and they would have some from mine and we would wonder why our puzzles couldn't get finished and why we had these pieces that didn't fit.

Well when we finally figured out that we had each others pieces we would look at them and tell which puzzle they were supposed to go with and we would trade them back to the right puzzle. Then that piece that didn't fit in our puzzle all of a sudden connects the other puzzle and an amazing picture is formed. If we tried to keep the pieces we had it would not have worked. Those pieces would have been messed up trying to get them to fit when all actuality they belonged in a different puzzle where they were a key role and there was another piece perfect for the spot you were trying to put this piece in.

Right now I see churches full of mis fitting pieces that don't belong because they are part of a new puzzle and they need to go to this new puzzle so God's great design can go forward and touch lives that can only be reached when misfits come together.
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Something different

2008-01-28T08:52:00.001-08:00

I have this crazy idea for something different in church. That instead of having service where everyone puts on the pretty and happy face we go to the neighborhood and spend time building relationships with people where they are comfortable and not putting up the front. What if the church made disciples in the neighborhoods and on the blocks instead of dragging people to church to meet Jesus
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That State Of. The Church

2008-01-27T14:20:00.001-08:00

Today sitting in the church I have been hit with something from the Lord. The church needs to grow up and stop being babies! We have become content living on milk and being like babies. We need to step up and out and be stretched so that we can grow. How can babies feed other babies. We can't survive like this!
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Why?

2008-01-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Why is it that I feel like such an odd ball misfit n the church? Why can't i just be like evryone else in the church and fit in. Why does my puzzle piece have to be oddly shaped and not part of the puzzle at my church. Why is it that my heart feel the pain and hurt around me? Why am I such an odd ball that sometimes I can't even pray for people because it hurts so much to touch them? Am I crazy?

Ok so latley I have had like five million things going on in my mind because I feel so out of place in the church. I feel like i do not fit in with what people expect from me. They expect tht because I am a "pastor" that I will pray loud and preach and do things a certain way but unfortunatly that is not me. I don't get up in peoples face and pray for them, i don't push them, i pray for a distance or i give them a hug and pray quietly for them. I think I have been givin a heart for the misfits of the church. I know I am not the only one that doesn't fit in right. I know that God has a special calling or those of us who are not the norm, that cannot sit still in church because of ADD or whatever, that are sick of hearing the same message over and over again. We want something new. We want something and someone that is with us in the trenches. So that's it.

I have decided that I am jumping in the trenches with the poeple. I am not goign to be one of those church people that stands outside the trench saying "you can do it". I am going to be one of those wierd people that says "you are gonna make it, and I am going to help you" and then jump in the trench to help them get out. Knowing that my strength comes from the Lord. I can jump in, in his strength and fight the battle in His stregnth and get people out of the trench and into the light of God.

Church

2008-01-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

What is the church? What is this strange thing that people seem to think exsists in a small or large building that all of its people must come to that building and "worship" and listen to a preacher?b Why can't church be on the street corner or in someones house on the block. Why can't people just stop for one minute and realize that the church is doing things all backwords and mixed up. Jesus said to go into the world and make disciples, not once does he say go out into the world and bring people in and get them saed and clean them up. Church happens out in the world by building relationships with people.

Frustration

2008-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Latley I have been feeling out of place in my church. I look around and I feel like I dont belong. What has happened to me that would make me all out of sorts. I am so frustrated right now. I feel like I am going crazy in the church. There has to be more to church than this.

Captivated

2007-12-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

People have an inate desire to be passionately loved. To be somones one and only but so often that desire never quite happens. They fall for the wrong people and think that it is the one because they were shown a little bit of attention. God has so much more for his people. He desires to be our one and only. He desires us to be captivated by him
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Lactose Intolerant

2007-11-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

"What are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?
Symptoms of lactose intolerance can be mild to severe, depending on how much lactase your body makes. Symptoms usually begin 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking milk products. If you have lactose intolerance, your symptoms may include:
Bloating.
Pain or cramps.
Gurgling or rumbling sounds in your belly.
Gas.
Loose stools or diarrhea.
Throwing up.
Many people think they are lactose-intolerant because the symptoms of lactose intolerance are very common symptoms. If you feel sick after drinking a glass of milk one time, you probably do not have lactose intolerance. But if you feel sick every time you have milk, ice cream, or another dairy product, you may have lactose intolerance.
Sometimes, people who have never had problems with milk or dairy products suddenly develop lactose intolerance. This is more common as you get older.
If you think you might have lactose intolerance, talk it over with your doctor. Your doctor can make sure that your symptoms are caused by lactose intolerance and not by another problem." from Yahoo

So why in the world posting about being lactose intolerance when blogging about God. Here is why... I have become spiritually locatose intolerant. I can no longer live on the spiritual milk that I have become complacent on getting. I need something else because the milk is making me sick. So often Christians are complacent to stay like babies and stay on milk. We are supposed to grow up and get wean off of the milk. Even kids as young as 1 year old get weaned from milk and start eating real food. As Christians we should start eating real food and eventually start to feed ourselves. We should not depend on our pastor's to feed us, we should start to eat for ourselves.

2007-11-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Desperate for more
Passionately pursuing the Father
Hungry for something more
No more milk

I don't want baby food
I don't want someone elses reguritation
I want food that is tough
That makes me have to chew
Stop giving me your reguritation

Time to read for myself
Time to cry out for myself
Its time to eat meat
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Changes and laziness

2007-11-10T07:04:00.001-08:00

This morning I made a decicion, no longer will I be lazy. Tomorrow starts a new day and I am going to do somethhing new. I am going to stop walking the way I was because it was the easy way. I am going to change direction because it is the direction I used to go and it was the way. I do not want to go the easy way because its easy.
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Rubbish

2007-10-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

Paul said that for him he considered all things that were for his profit rubbish that he might gain Christ. As the church we need to look around at ourselves and see that so often we look around and see that we count things in our lives to be more important than what God has done in our lives and what we need Christ to do in our lives. We have become selfish.
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Center of the Universe

2007-10-27T18:41:00.001-07:00

I heard a song talking about God being the center of the universe. It made me think about what the church has made God into. He is no longer the center of our entire universe, we have made Him a part of our life but one that we control. One that we don't let Him take completly in our life. We let God into the parts that are clean and holy but not the dirty parts or the parts that we are ashamed of. We need to let God into every part because when the church does this we won't need our defense mechanisms to keep people out and we will be able to bring more people in.
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Church

2007-10-27T15:53:00.001-07:00

I hate going to church so much. I feel like there is no reason to go even the most unconventional churches have this level of religiousity. People look at the people that are hurt and crying out for help and talk about how they smell or how they look funny or any other mess of things. They care about themselves about what they want from God and they forget that there are people that NEED more of God that they need God or they are going to die.
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Compassion

2007-10-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Passion means to suffer, when you have a passion for something you suffer for. Com means with. Therefore compassion means to suffer with. We need to have compassion for the lost and hurting. This means that we need to suffer with the lost and hurting. Just a thought

Sick of Church

2007-10-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of church? Most people respond with no! no way! I love church but really and truly they are irritated and do not want to go to church. They say no because it is the expected, if you are a Christian than you must go to "church." Well I am sick of "church" this thing it has become in which people spend all their time trying to please others and be something they are not. The face the front and stand and sit when told and sing when prompted. There is more to Christianity than this and church should not be the place where we go to sit. Church is a living breathing organism.

We are the church, we the people are the church. The service is not the church it is a service. We are the called out ones, look up church int he original language and you will find it means that. We are the ones called to go out and seek the lost and find them and share with them the greastest love in the entire world. Instead we sit in church and feel good because we have invited a friend to join us in our weekly ritual. I do not want to go to church, I want to be the church and bring others in to this crazy thing called the family of God. This crazy thing called the church where people love and support each other and do not give up on each other. Where people got your back and are supporting you as you go through stuff.

I am sick of the "church" the organization it has become and the ritual it is. I am leaving the ritual and never coming back. I am going to be the church.

Can you stand?

2007-10-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

When the trials come can you stand, will you stand? Why is it that people want some much from everyone else when they go to church. They want some much from their pastor but they cannot and do not stand on their own. When times get rough can they fall on their face. Time for us all to stand on our own.

Fun fun

2007-10-04T09:21:00.001-07:00

When things change people freak out and start to act funny. For example, I am leaving the company I work for and I deal with people and as I am telling them that I am leaving they are freaking out with exclamations of why! And where to and all sorts of other things. They do not like the unknown, they don't know who will be taking my place and they do not know what they will be like and they know me and what I expect from them and that what I say I will do and they don't know what to expect from the circumstance.

Time for something new

2007-10-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Life without change is boring. People like what they know and when they know what to expect. I do not like to walk in to a situation and not know what to expect but there is something in me that needs something different to not know what to expect. It is time for a change and it is time for something different.

Will you fight

2007-10-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

All across America the church has become the normal thng to do. It has become something that is comfortable and easy. We do not have to worry about people coming in during service and arresting us. If it came down to it would you fight for your faith. Would you fight for what you believe in. Do you fight now for your faith? Do you stand up and say enough in enough. This is it. What would happen if all of the american christians stood up and said we are fighting for what God wants for us. We are not going to just let christianity and life happen to us. We are going to be what happens to life, to our cities, to our families and to our church.

Lord I Want More

2007-09-12T20:59:00.001-07:00

We need Jesus more now than ever. We are a people that needs more of God's presence. We are desperate for more of what God has for us and what he wants to do in us. We are crying out for more. We are tired of fake religion. Something different is needed.

jeremiah

2007-09-09T10:23:00.001-07:00

"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the lght of day, I had holy plans for you: a prophet to the nations- that's what I had in mind for you"

God has called his people, before we were in the womb he had plans for us. He knew that he had called his children to greatness. So what does the job description look like.

"your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, and then start over, building and planting"

This even includes within the church. It is time to start with something new and different to take apart the old and put together something new.

When everything else fails

2007-09-09T10:06:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it feels like everything in life crashes down and nothing works anymore. When all that is within you wants to cry out and say this isn't working we need something else, something different. All that is in you cries out for a generation that has been so hurt by everything that is in their life. For a generation that is looking for fathers and mothers that say I love you and I'm proud of you. For someone to acknowledge that what they are doing is good. For someone to show up when the good things happen. If the family is not going to step up then the church needs to step into this role. The church needs to be what the generation is looking for. I am sick of what the church has become.

Something New

2007-08-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today we are all I need of something new. We need a new fresh relationship with God. What we have is not enough. We are not strong enough or smart enough or anything enough without God. I heard my pastor say a verse today and it stuck with me. "why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God-soon i'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God. " (Psalm 42:11) This verse comes from the Message Remix bible. God is our only hope.

A New Year

2007-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

This week school is starting all over the area. Kids are going back to a new school year and now is the time to start fresh. Starting fresh means a lot of things to a lot of people but here is the big thing. It is time to let go of all the past mistakes and stop worrying about all the things that we let get in the way of where God wants us to go and what He wants us to do. Let us not allow the past to dictate our future.

In honor of the new year and new beginning I am starting a new blog. Fresh and not connected with the old. Why you may ask. Simple I am starting new and I am not going to connect my past with my future, who I was is not who I am. Things are different now.