Thy Bachelor Shall Not Go Hungry . . .

“And thy bachelor shall not go hungry, for he shall learn to cook in the presence of the brethren as is good and pleasing before the Lord.”

Living under the roof of my mother for most of my life has not afforded me the necessity of learning to feed myself. Now, faced with the remedies of PB & J or Top Ramen, the time has come to man up.

A few times, growing up,  we made ice cream at my grandma’s house. I have been wanting to try and make it myself. So, finally last night, after looking up the recipe online, I hit Winco and got everything I needed. Three eggs, some black berries and a few ziploc bags later my masterpiece lay before me. It was amazing. The clan didn’t object either.

Right now my granola simmers in the oven. That will make for an excellent snack for school. I was attempting to make granola bars, but didn’t realize that this recipe is missing the bars part.

Lunch at school is a rather rushed, questionable event. I realized I needed to make something up before hand. I am always in favor of making a large food item that lasts for the week. My housemate just made this pesto pasta with chicken so I thought I would give it a shot. I made my own pesto for the first time. It was good but I will still have room to perfect it. The dish makes a great lunch.

These are my most recent ventures into the kitchen. On this journey I want to learn more about nutrition and organic foods and the effects of all the food I am putting into my mouth, like all the additives, preservatives and such.

morning sunrise

I have been getting up early in the mornings and I am loving it. This is a picture of the morning sunrise against the mountains. The prayer chapel overlooks the mountains and has big windows that look out across the whole area where you can see the sunrise too.

I took a picture of the prayer chapel too. There’s a fountain inside that flows over the whole globe.

We finished reading Kris Vallotton’s book, Sexual Revolution and now we are having the sex talks. Kris is hilarious but some of the older people get all uncomfortable when he talks about it. Delicious.

I am taking this Basic Training in the Prophetic class and it is good stuff. They were bringing people up in front of the class and we were prophesying over them. When they brought one of the guys up, I saw him and the thought “Lion” came to mind, then “of Judah” trailed behind. But I thought, “Nah, I have already thought that before about someone when prophesying, that was just me”. So I figured I would ask God again and I got a picture of a big bear with two little bear cubs. Then I looked at the guy standing in front and remembered that his name is Bear. Again, remember, that all this stuff is new to me. And I just roll with what I have. I don’t make up stuff like, “Thus saith the Lord God Almight Jehovah Raffa of Israel”.

Well as everyone was prophesying over him it was all words like “warrior”, “king” “lion”,  ”bear”. All of them were along that warrior-lion line. And someone gave him a picture of him as a warrior in battle stance but with a little baby in his arm. He said he totally had a heart for kids and younger people, because I don’t think he had much of a father growing up. I was stoked to see that I was hearing the Holy Spirit talk to me. That happened three times that day, when I was right on with what God was saying. It was cool to realize, okay, so that’s what it looks like to hear God. I did not feel anything spooky, I did not see the heavens open up and Jesus descend, but I had a conversation with God, through a few words and a picture, and it seemed like it was just my thoughts but it was not. Yeah baby. God is always trying to communicate to us, we just have to open up and give him the space to do it.

The same thing happened that same day, after class. We were praying for this class mate who had had a really bad tooth/ gum ache and a bump on her gum or something. It still hurt a bit so we started praying for her and after two times the pain was gone. Then we were praying for her for a job and something else and the thought came into my mind “favor of Joseph”. The thought didn’t feel like the booming voice of God but it stayed in there (We are reading through Genesis and the story of Joseph). So I just started declaring that over her, that the same favor of God that was on Joseph was on her and how Pharoah gave the whole kingdom over to Joseph because he saw that no other man had such a wise and discerning spirit upon him and that was over her as well.

After we were done praying for her, she said that was right on because as soon as I started praying that over her, God started taking her back to all these different moments in her life and showing her how that same favor of Joseph has been on her life and with her all these years growing up. So again, that was super encouraging to see that I was actually hearing God’s voice. Good stuff.

Another thing they were teaching in the class is to just start practicing. Practice prophesying over your day in the morning and see what happens. So this morning I figured, alright, I will give it a shot. So I settled into it and the first thing that popped into my mind was” I am going to have a conversation with a girl wearing a yellow t-shirt.” Again, it didn’t feel divine or heavenly, it was just a thought, so I wrote it down. Then I wrote down that her dad was a fire fighter. So, basically when I got to class and was sitting in the bleachers, I scanned the auditorium and the only person I could find wearing yellow was a friend sitting down in the middle. So I thought, “maybe I’ll talk to her.” We get out for break and as she walking past she says hi and  we start talking about one of classes and how she is learning about meditation. Then we get outside and I ask her if her dad was a firefighter and she said, “no.” Welp, so much for that. “But my brother is,” she said. She told me a little later that he was like a father to her. Bam. Again, super cool to know I am catching the Holy Spirit’s vibe. Shalom.

Dogs Before Dawn

Week #7, Day #1:

The closer I draw to breakthrough in the things of God the fiercer the warfare gets. My roommate Joel and I were talking about this. When I make a decision to stand against the tide of this world, I place myself on the forefront of the battle and make myself a target for the enemy. Therefore, at times, the torrent of the storm and ferocity of the battle is an indication that I am exactly where I am supposed to be: hammering on the door of heaven, battering a hole through the wall, swimming deeper. It has been said that “the dogs of doom stand outside the doors of destiny.”

I know I am close. There comes a point when each youth reaches the crossroads, that epic point in their life where they decide which direction they will go, who they will be, and what they are about. Every youth is like a plant, a crop growing up, and the enemy is watching. As they arrive close to the time of harvest he wants to destroy them, before God can harvest them for his kingdom; or he wants to misguide, confuse or beat them off the path before they come to the crossroads and choose light.

The enemy knows that once  a single man/woman encounters the love of God, tastes the sweetness of his presence or even gets a glimpse of who they were made to be, the game is over. That one is ruined for life; contaminated by the seed of a Father’s relentless love for His child. The powers of darkness war to prevent that moment, that dawning of the Light upon every child. We are in a war and the battles will come. The question is, will we pick up arms and fight through, or taking it as a sign from God will we turn around and head back down the mountain?

 

No pasta no vision?

We always have Mondays off because it is the pastors’ day to rest. Today I got up around 11:15 am ,which is later than I wanted. After spending the first five weeks getting up around 10 or 11 every morning I finally have rearranged my schedule and now get up around 7-8 am. I like getting up early in the morning when no one else is awake. A peaceful quietude (real word, look it up) still rests on the house, before the chaos of the day begins. The feeling of having the whole day set before me is a good one as well.

My roommate Riley and I spent a good chunk of time at Costco trying to plan our meals and get what we needed. We decided to go in on dinners together. Tonight we cooked pasta with sauce and then chopped up some red bell peppers, sweet onions, tomatoes and cheese and it was good stuff. I felt a little cooped up and needed to get some exercise. I actually just got back from my walk. I walked from my house to the church. It only takes twenty to thirty minutes depending if you take the short cut or not. Walking sometimes helps to clear my mind and helps me think

Some of the questions I have been asking myself are:

What is the vision for this year? What am I supposed to be about? I do not want to miss out or waste my time. My mind just felt chaotic, jumping from one thing to another, not even sure what to focus my thoughts on, what to think about or where to put my mental energy. I want to set goals, grab ahold of a vision, and run after it with all that is in me. I do not want to waste time and dink around. But at the same time and most importantly I must live in this place of internal rest and deep security in the love of Father’s embrace. Striving for his affection, trying to earn his approval and performing for validation is only going to create a helpless anxiety. In talking to God about it, some thoughts began to come to me. Jesus got his vision from Father. He just looked at him and saw what he was doing and he joined with him and did the same thing. That’s what I need to do.

So I began to ask God, what are you doing? What are you doing in my life this week? this year? What are you doing in my roommates lives and in my house? What are you doing at my school and in the church here? I want to join along with Him. Then I thought of love. God is about love. If I can learn to receive love and give love, this year will be a success and I will have accomplished the heart of Father for this year. God is loving on my roommate and drawing them into closer intimacy with him. If I can set myself up for supernatural love encounters with Father and then bring others into those same kinds of powerful love encounters I will be accomplishing the vision. My questions are definitely not resolved but it is a process.

Rest

Tomorrow is the last day of my detox. I have had to increase my repetoire of recipes or waste away. This is a picture of me making a fruit smoothie. I am impressed with myself. A simple one I learned is orange juice, ice and frozen strawberries. Yeah baby! The other picture is of me playing ultimate frisbee with some friends. We played 18 holes a couple weeks back. I went camping last weekend. It was great to get out and see the area a bit. A gushing river flowed past the camp with all the trees in the autumn mode of color. We sat around the fire at night and got to connect more than we have.

I am loving the school. There is no other place I would rather be. Most of my days are fixed to the normal school routine, but I can see so clearly that this is exactly where God has placed me for this season in my life, that I might be equipped and prepared to walk in the power and authority of Christ that has been given me as a son of God. Everyday the speaker brings solid teaching and revelation. First year is all about identity. So they are constantly hitting that from different angles. We are starting a book called, “Supernatural Ways of Royalty” by Kris Valloton that I would suggest to everyone. As well I am reading “Experiencing Father’s Embrace” by Jack Frost. That is an awesome book about not striving and performing to earn God’s love, but instead living out of the place where the Father loves us and showers his affection and unconditional approval and love on us.

God has been speaking to me about rest. I need to learn how to carry an internal state of rest and not be striving or performing. So I know this season entails lessons on abiding. My roommates and I grow closer each week. The band of brothers forms as we prepare to be men that can advance the kingdom in love and power.

I am seeing more the core value of transparent, intimate friendships that I must be a foundation in my life. When I walk in the light in open relationship with my brothers, then the enemy holds nothing against me, because I constantly expose his schemes and bring them into the light. If I can always live in at least one transparent relationship where I hide nothing, then I will safeguard myself from sin; besides life is so much more meaningful and fun when I walk in communion with the brotherhood.

Part Two: End times

This is part two to some thoughts on the End Times. Here at the school they have touched on it a bit and it has made me think, so I wanted to write it out. One’s view of the End Times affects how they live day to day, affects their identity and what kind of power and authority they walk in. In continuation, Daniel 7 talks about a vision Daniel has and most equate it to the Millenium.

(v. 13-14) The Son of Man came before the Ancient of Days and was given “dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” So we know there will come a time when the Son of Man will receive a kingdom and dominion that once given will never be destroyed and will not end. And we know of Jesus from Isaiah 9:5-7 “the government will rest on his shoulders … There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace.” So once this child is born to us and receives his kingdom, it will always be expanding, enlarging and increasing along with peace.

“Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus was constantly preaching that the kingdom of God was near, he told his disciples to do the same when they went into the towns, it was why he came, to announce that the time for God’s kingdom to be established on earth had come.

The final words Jesus spoke to his boys were, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” In the interpretation of Daniel’s dream it is explained that “the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” (v. 18).

Daniel goes on to say, “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war against the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgement was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom . . . He (the horn) will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him(v. 21-27)”

So, what I have grown up in church believing is that we are all going to be handed over to the aweful rule of the anti-Christ for a time as he wears all of the Christians down and it will be terrible. But Daniel 7 explains that when the courts sit for judgement, Satan’s time has come to an end and though he was the prince of this earth his dominion and authority will be taken from him and given to us, the saints of the Highest One. And once we are given the kingdom it will never end. So this is a pretty crucial moment when the authority is passed on from this “horn” and we get to rule as the people of God forever.

The key is that this time has already come, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and Paul says in Colossians 1:12-13 that we are to give thanks to the Father, “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves . . . “. So the exchange has happened. The saints are no longer under the oppression of the evil dominion but the Son has his kingdom, and has conferred it upon his people.

Hebrews 1:28 “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude . . .” We have received the kingdom. It is ours. And in Colossians 2:15 Paul writes of Jesus, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Jesus has taken away all the authority of the kingdom of darkness and has given it to us.

Daniel 7:12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.” So the demons have lost their dominion but they are still granted to roam this earth, why? So that Christ might make a “public display of them”. He is making them stay on earth to watch as His saints go into all the world and destroy the works that the Devil has toiled over. Now the tormentor gets tormented. It is hell for him to be on earth and watch as the sons of God take over his shrinking kingdom.

The point is this: Daniel’s vision has been fulfilled, we are not waiting for a terrible reign of Satan to come, it has come and gone. When Jesus died on the cross and declared, “It is finished” He meant it. The kingdom is ours, we are in the last days and it only gets more glorious from here.

Organically Times End

For about the first three weeks everything was random, but now we are starting to settle into a routine. Several weeks ago we went on our retreat to the Chico YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base. We went on a hike to some waterfalls. It’s quite a nice base they have. It is an old resort that celebrities went to for the hot springs. It smells like nasty sulfur pits. But it was good to build new relationships and make connections.

I have been wanting to expand my cooking capabilities for a while now so last night I did some research and went for it. I had corn and black beans (out of the can) with some good rice (superbly cooked) and home made salsa. I was pretty proud of my salsa it consisted of: tomatoes, avocado, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime and salt. It was a filling plate. For a desert I expanded to smoothies. I mixed cantaloupe, banana and an orange juice medley with ice and it came out pretty good. This evening I mixed apple and honey dew in with it, then stirred in granola and a little honey which is amazing.

It rained yesterday for the first time in months. The weather has been raging, the wind whipping and it is awesome. Some good old Oregon weather. Last week, I started using my mountain bike to ride to school and that lasted all of one day. They have nasty ground thorns here and it popped both tires so those days are done. At least until I get new ones.

This past Sunday I got out with some guys and played 18 holes of frisbee golf. It felt so good to get out and do something. I bought a disc. It has been so long since I have played but hopefully I will be able to play on the weekends a bit.

My buddy and I decided to do a 3 week detox and I am on day 10. It is going pretty well. I am eating fruits, vegetables and legumes, like beans and rice ( I don’t think rice is a legume but you get the idea). I am cutting out all processed foods and all man made junk, dairy and meat. I had pasta one night, which isn’t that processed and I have had a few odwalla bars and drinks, but beyond that I haven’t varied too much. I am trying to go organic as well, but I don’t think I have the money for that now, so it will be in moderation.

The teaching here at the school is so good. The goal is not that we would all think alike or think like the teacher but that we would think. They are trying to train us up to love God with all our mind and learn how to critically engage our minds and spirits with the world around us. Kris Valloton has done some teaching on the end times and how our eschatology affects our echology. My mind has been stretched and in turn my perspective and lifestyle is challenged.

The church has had a mindset that the worse the world gets the sooner Christ comes, so let it all go to hell in a hand basket, we’ll just applaud on the sideline. If it’s all going to burn why should we bother taking care of it now? What we believe about the end has everything to do with how we live our lives in the middle.  We point to the scripture that talks about war and famine and the anti-Christ and we’ve all seen Left Behind. But really, many of those scriptures of doom and gloom have already been fulfilled, while many of the prophecies of peace and good things have not. For instance:

Jesus told his disciples to pray: (matthew 6:6-10)  ”your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Was that just a wish or did Jesus really believe that “your Father . . . will reward you”; that heaven really is coming to Earth. The focus is not on us going to heaven but on heaven on coming here.

In Matthew 23 – 24 When Jesus speaks of the signs of the end of the age you have to remember he is talking to his Apostles who are not worried about the end of the world but are wondering when “this age” will end, the age where the Romans and Pharisees are ruling and when they get to kick them out and rule on twelve thrones with Jesus. Jesus talks about wars and famines and all the other terrible things but at the end he says, “this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Jesus was literally talking about their generation.

He spoke to them around AD 30 and the destruction of the temple was in about AD 70. A generation was 40 years. I believe it was the historian Josephus who said that the destruction of the temple and the coinciding massacre was one of the worst tribulations the world has ever seen. The Romans sieged Jerusalem and starved the Jews out. They got so hungry they began to eat their babies. The Jews also began to swallow their jewelry to hide it from the Romans; but when they found out they disemboweled them. Over a million Jews were killed in three months. They hung them on crosses.

Jesus said “Wherever there is a carcass there the vultures will gather.” On the front of the Roman shields was a vulture. At first when the Jews heard the Romans were coming many remembered Jesus’ prophecy that in that day no one should go back into their homes but should take their babies and flee to the mountains.  It was Josephus who recorded this and said how roughly a million Jews were saved because of this and they fled to the hills within hours of the Romans encircling the hills.

In the twentieth century alone we have certainly seen our fill of wars, rumors of wars, death, famine, earthquakes and destruction. This has been fulfilled.

Isaiah 60 speaks of a beautiful ending where (v18) “no longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders”. Violence is still heard in the land.

Isaiah 2:2-4 says ” In the last days . . . They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

Nations are still training for war so this has not come into fulfillment where all peoples lay down their weapons and there is peace. And it says that this is in “the last days”, as in we have a happy ending here.

We are in the last days and the best is yet to come. There is more but maybe I will write a part two. Check out Daniel 7.

Onward: One month into it

It has been almost a month now and it is going by fast. I am settling into more of a groove. Our house came down with a bit of sickness, and that was nasty. My roommate caught the worst of it, sleeping eighteen hours at a time, but I just have a little of bit of it. There are seven of us here in my house and three in my room. I am so glad I am here in this house. Community life is what it’s about. It isn’t always easy, but it is what I need. When you rub up against people every day all week long things in you and them raise to the surface. It would be easier to live alone, with my own room, but I think that living in community expedites God’s process in my life. It’s like being married . . . sort of. It is at least like having a family or living with your brothers. I see things come to the surface and realize that my character needs refining. They are a good group of men here, and quite the musicians, too. We have a good time.

We have killed three black widows so far, but “it’s no big deal”. We are going to start ripping out the nasty carpet in the house and that will freshen it up a bit. There’s a nice hard wood floor underneath. I have really been interested in health and nutrition this last year. I have wanted to start eating healthier but I wasn’t sure where to start. My buddy Cj told me he was going to go on a detox so I decided to join him. I am on day #5 of fruits and veggies and legumes. And we are trying to go as organic as we can. We bought an organic box of produce from a local farmer that he delivers to homes. It’s going pretty well. I haven’t really lost much weight and I think I feel better already, although I’ll get a better feel for it in a few weeks.

I know this is exactly where I am supposed to be for this season in my life. There is no other place I can think of that would be better for this time in my life with God, to grow and train into the man He desires. I am in the right place at the right time. Bethel is so healthy, so well rounded. It is called the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, and with reason, but that is only a part of what they are training us up to do and be.

First year is all about identity, realizing who we are in Christ. Kris Vallotton (co-founder and senior overseer of the school) was teaching about the third generation of the school back in 2000. The year finished great by all physical standards. God had done so much and all the students and staff were pumped as they graduated. But something inside Kris didn’t feel right. It kept nagging at him and finally he asked God about it and God told him “You taught royal principles to slaves.” The third year the school ran was the first year that students from out of the church were coming in and they didn’t have the same identity in Christ that those who grew up in the church atmosphere had. So, the school was equipped with power and given the mandate but the were still living like paupers instead of princes

Moses had to grow up in the king’s palace because a man who is enslaved internally can not free people externally. The Hebrews had a slave mentality and God needed their “savior” to know his royal identity. You always reduce the environment around you to the environment within you. That is why we can not bring the kingdom of God to those around us unless it is in us, and that starts with living in our true relationship to God (Mat. 3:17).

If I am really God’s son then where is my power and authority. I am a new creation in Christ, the old has gone the new has come. I have been made in God’s image, like him. I am his son, co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), co-laborers with him. And Christ said, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me so go make disciples of every nation . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:18-20). Jesus had all authority and power and he gave that to his disciples and that counts me in as well.

The term “body of Christ” is thrown around a lot. But if we literally are the tangible body of Christ for the world today then that means something. It means that we are called to walk out what he walked out on the earth, to carry on where he left off, to do exactly as he did. Jesus commanded his disciples to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, drive out demons and raise the dead (Mat. 10) and he commanded them to teach us everything he taught them. He set up a model; he would teach them, then they would teach others who would teach others and so on.

So about the issue of identity, I am realizing that I am made to walk like Christ walked (1 J. 2:6), I am made to do what he did and even greater things. I will walk in power, I will heal the sick and raise the dead because there is no other option. Jesus commanded us to heal the sick. I am God’s son, and he has given me his power and authority to bring his kingdom to earth. Some of this I understand in my mind but I am learning to live out as reality.

Everything flows from how we envision ourselves. We can not act inconsistently with who we believe we are. There is so much solid teaching about identity here at the school. They are driving it home. I know that’s what God is going to be working on in me. Royal identity in Christ. It is going to be a reality in my life. If I fully knew who I was I would know the authority and power that is mine to walk in. But because I haven’t healed too many sick people or raised many from the dead, I have a bit to learn.

There is so much to write about. I will write more on a separate blog just to break it up. The perspective here is so healthy and holistic. It isn’t just about healing people and doing miracles for the sake of it; it is not an entertainment gig. The end goal is love. If we do not have love, we have nothing. The goal is that people would know the love of Christ in a real way. It isn’t about doing the stuff it is about knowing God. The signs, miracles and manifest power open a door to connect people with Jesus, they point them to his love.

Tracy Evans, a missionary from Mozambique spoke today at school. That was good. They are walking by faith over their. She told some cool stories. They feed 600 babies milk every week. I believe they also feed the 600 caregivers and staff as well. They have never missed a meal but many weeks they look into the food storage and only have one bag of milk left. She spends about $2000 on milk a week. God always provides though. Back a while ago they were going to stop at a 100 babies because it was getting to be too much, but they turned away a little girl and the founder couldn’t sleep all night till she sent a runner in the morning to bring the mother back and now they are up to 600.

Here’s some of the books I have read and am in the process of reading:

Already read:

• When Heaven Invades Earth – Bill Johnson

• Sexual Revolution – Kris Valloton

• The World Aflame – Rick Joyner

Reading:

• The Happy Intercessor – Beni Johnson

• The Hayford Bible Handbook – Jack Hayford

• Christian History Made Easy – Timothy Paul Jones

• Basic Training for the Prophetic – Kris Valloton

Future Reading:

• Experiencing the Father’s Embrace – Jack Frost

• Supernatural Ways of Royalty – Kris V.

• The Ultimate Treasure Hunt – Kevin Dedmon

• That All May Prophecy – Steve Thompson

• Culture of Honor – Danny Silk

• God’s General’s – Roberts Liardon

• Strengthen yourself in the Lord – Bill J.

I would recommend any one of those books (even the one’s I haven’t read) There’s a few other I will probably read, but that’s the bulk of it. Bethel is an amazing environment. Honestly there is no other place in the world I would rather be than right here for this season. These last couple days I come home and my brain is fried from the day’s download. They bring the heat and there is a lot to process. The goal here is to raise up revivalists to be released into every mountain of society; revivalists who walk in the spirit and in faith, yet also love God with all their mind and have learned how to think for themselves.

Besides the classes part of it, my Aunt Mindy and Uncle Bear came and visited a few weeks ago and that was really cool. They came down in their fifth wheel and we got to spend time together and go to some church services and have a cook out with my house mates. Until next time, Shalom.

First days in Redding

write or visit: 5714 Cascade Dr. Redding, Ca 96003

cliff jumping with Mark and Nick outside Redding

It has been a while since I have written anything. But that’s how it goes. It is what it is. I am sitting here in my room, in Redding, California, with my Kiwi roommate who is playing guitar. The adventure began Thursday afternoon. My little brother Mark, and friend Nick, decided to road trip down with me to Redding from Salem. We drove to my grandparents and had dinner with them, in Harrisburg, then Friday morning we headed off for the Promised Land. Saturday we went cliff jumping in paradise with some of my new roommies. A cascading waterfall  divided the cliffs on either side with a dammed up pool at the end to make it deeper. The forest rangers placed a beast of a log in the center of the waterfall angling down to the pool and notched it so you could climb up it and jump. One cliff was 35-40 feet deep. Beautiful and refreshing.

For those that do not know, I am in Redding going to the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. School starts tomorrow, and it should be rad.

There are seven of us guys in the house and everyone goes to Bethel. We are a diverse group but it is going to be a good community for the year. We are rearranging everything and trying to create that happy place, the zen den.

We hit up services Friday night and sunday. Already there have been so many solid messages delivered. I see God stringing together a theme. Friday night, Cindy Jacobs brought it like a champ. She talked about how the Holy Spirit wants to make us holy. He is called the Holy Spirit for a reason. There can be no compromise. One does not pick up a cup that is 98% coffee and 2% fecal matter and drink it. No, the 1 or 2% toxic matter destroys the rest of the drink. The same is with us. We are vessels and we must be 100% holy and pure, even 1% evil, perversion or darkness will work through the whole of us.

And it is possible too. God would not have commanded us to “be holy as I am holy” (1 Peter) if it were not possible, if he would not give us the grace and power through his Spirit to do so.

How far are we willing to go to be holy? What are we willing to set aside in sacrifice? Realize that the Holy Spirit can not turn aside his head when you sit in front of a screen, he can not plug his ears when you listen to music. He is always in me. There are some things I will not be able to watch, some things I can not hear, or say or do, not because they are forbidden in the Bible, but because for a moment they take the edge off; they dull my sensitivity to his touch and break my connection with the Spirit.

Saturday night some of us were talking in my room and Cj, one of my house mates, told us about his story and some things God had taught him. God showed him that he will be ready for marriage when all he needs is God. When he is completely dependent on God and no one else, then he will be ready, because he must get to a place where he doesn’t need his wife but wants her. God has called the man to be over the wife and to make decisions for her good; but if he needs her as a part of his identity or emotional fulfillment as a man then she can control and manipulate him and he will not be able to make the decisions he needs to, before God, for her good. The second part is that he will be ready to marry when he can treat every older woman like a mother and every younger woman like a sister (II Tim 5 ?). Both these rang true for me as well.

God has been weaving together a common theme of purity, holiness and cleansing, a consecration unto him.

I know this year is going to be full of breakthrough into new levels, a new season in Christ. Pastor Stephen from the Lakeland revival, talked about our need for a power encounter with the Holy Spirit. We can not be fire inspectors. We can not live off of the fire and experience of someone else, we have to get our own experience, our own encounter, our own flame. That is true. That resonates with me. I am going to have to write more about the stories he told from the Lakeland revival. They are off the hook. Healings and angels and miracles.

Bill Johnson spoke in the morning about how to sustain revival as a lifestyle, a culture. He looked at Acts 2:42.

This was just some of the thoughts that have been tossed at me to chew on these last couple days. School starts tomorrow. I’ll keep writing about what’s going on.

Home stretch

12:23 a.m.

I pulled two hours of sleep last night as I charged through my final 10 page paper for psychology and a response paper to a book I hadn’t yet read. I have finals on monday and then I am a free man. These last eight months have flown by. I wonder how much I’ve learned. The level that I put into my classes is the level I will get out. I know I could have done more, but life’s a journey and I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I am ready for the summer, as is everyone. 

I just finished watching Miss Potter, a movie about the life of Beatrix Potter, the artist who wrote and illustrated the Peter Rabbit series. Good movie, I recommend it. Tomorrow, I am going to mow the nature trail, and my room desperately needs to be cleaned. It smells a little funny. Laundry is also on the list. This is my last study weekend for finals then I am really free. So much of life, if not the majority of it, is found in the ordinary tasks. I want to bring God into my daily routine. I wake up in the morning and ask the Holy Spirit to walk with me, hand-in-hand, through the day. We were made to do it all with him. God wants to mow the lawn with me, clean my room and study for my finals. Everything is spiritual. 

My first summer reading will probably be When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson, should be excellent, I’ll let you know how it goes. The summer should have quite the line up for adventures. First on the list is a back-packing trip on the Oregon Coast trail for a Human Performance class with Corban. That is going to be beautiful. I have been wanting to get into backpacking and the outdoors more.