Baltimore Boy & Catching Fire

Dear readers, dear fellow revivalists, dear RADICAL lovers of Jesus...

Something that has been on my heart lately is the subject of personal revival. I believe that before the nations can be brought completely to Jesus, the Church has to undergo RE-vival - it has to be revived. But even before that, individuals that make up the Church must undergo their own personal revival, in the Secret Place of their hearts. They must have an identity shift as they realize who they were born to be,  Who they belong to, and how much love our Abba Father has lavished on each and every one of them. From this place of true identity and reawakened passion for God Himself comes the desire to take it to the world.

From www.etymonline.com:

revive

early 15c., from M.Fr. revivre (10c.), from L. revivere "to live again," from re- "again" + vivere "to live" (see vital).

I want you to take a look at my friend Jesse's blog and get an eye-opening, invigorating look into the soul and heart of a man who has been awakened to a whole new way of living.

On April 10, 2011, he walked into our church and straight into our hearts. He, Emily, and I have been inseparable ever since, and he has continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge and relationship with God....

His blog is called "Catching Fire", and I'm not sure of all the reasons behind the name he chose, but it makes me think of what happens when we walk around with our own personal torches for God absolutely lit and ABLAZE, and we come into contact with someone ripe for a personal revival. Read about his journey. It's beautiful.

Jesse's Blog: Catching Fire
 
I will be featuring him as a guest writer on here very soon!

It's a Beautiful Day in Paradise

I'm sitting in my kitchen in metro-Phoenix, Arizona, looking out at sunshine and green, sipping some coffee, sending and receiving some "let's schedule this today" texts, and answering company emails. It's the beginning part of my day - where I relax, remember I'm Abba's child, and drink some much-needed caffeine. I have a penchant for sleeping as little as possible. Something I'd like to change.


It's been an exciting summer. Running all the way home, away from a haboob that was chasing me at 15 miles an hour (yeah, look that one up on Wikipedia - "haboob"). Reconnecting with high school and college buddies and making some new memories to add to our treasure chest of old ones. Drinking in the lushness of the Wisconsin and Michigan countryside, watching pink and purple sunsets whilst digging my feet into the coolness of a sandy beach, straightening a stunning bride's dress, and making sure her make-up was still picture-perfect, canoeing it up at Youth and College & Career camp, and this time, being the crazy one who splashed others and wasn't so afraid to tip after all. *Grin* I'm also stepping out a lot more, almost as if it were second nature, during ministry times. This is significant for me because every time someone calls for ministry teams, and every time they look over at me to be part of them, I just want to dig a hole and crawl into it. Or disappear altogether. Spiritually, something inside of me wants to NOT pray for ANYONE. And for a long time I was directly fighting this, trying to break past that feeling, knowing I had to push through in order to bless others. But I think there's just been so much grace this season to step out without even having to have this huge argument inside myself. Things are clicking. The more I push through, the easier it gets.

Combined with a personal three-day retreat to the White Mountains, alone with God and nature, jamming with my friends Emily and Jesse, cooking a lot of Asian food, especially on family dinner nights, and going running 4 miles three times a week - this summer has just been excellent. Most excellent.

All this while gobbling up revivalist books. And dreaming big. And joining a revivalist networking website. And holding and/or attending prayer meetings with all sorts of wonderful sons and daughters of God from other parts of the Valley. And starting up an intercession prayer meeting the 3rd Friday of every month. And being hardcore with my little bro (I won't tell you what that entails, but it's awesome). I'm journaling any thought as it comes to me. I'm experiencing a new level of creativity, and I'm loving it. It's good. It's SO good. :)

We were created for union with God, in the simple activities of just being, of just living. We were created to love him and be loved by him. Our primary purpose of existing.

I'm grabbing a hold of this truth in a whole new way.

The sound of waves. The wind in the trees. The brightness of White-Mountain star-filled night skies. The pluck of a guitar string. The smell of an old book.

Making my bed. Cleaning the bathroom. Washing the floors.

I can find Him anywhere, while doing anything. In the simplest, most mundane activity...in the simplest of interactions with a stranger. In the deepest of conversations with a bosom friend. Or in the silence of an empty building.

There He is, and there am I.

And I'm never alone.

I'm always known, always loved, and I have a 24/7 direct line to God.

It's pretty rad. :)

Jesus Began a Revolution with ONE Word

"Jesus began a revolution with one word: when he said the word 'Father', he changed everything. And now he's invited us into this reality, into this place of belonging, of calling God our Papa, our Daddy, our Abba."

Hit "play"  on the video below, and find a corner where you can cry your eyes out...

Abba

You're more real than the ground I'm standing on

You're more real than the wind in my lungs

Your thoughts define me, you're inside me
You're my reality

Abba, I belong to you

You're closer than the skin on my bones
You're closer than the song on my tongue

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Last night I read the book "Heaven is Real", by Todd Burpo, the pastor of a church in a small town called Imperial, in Nebraska. He is also the father of a boy named Colton, who at 3 years and 10 months old, was in surgery after his appendix burst, near death, when he was taken up into Heaven and was able to see some pretty incredible things. Much of the story surrounds how they realized Colton had had a real supernatural experience.

It's a really precious book. I recommend it. There was one spot that hit me really hard.

In a good way, of course.

The family was on their way to their Good Friday communion service, and Todd asked Colton if he knew why Jesus died on the cross:

I said, "Colton, do you know why Jesus died on the cross?"

He nodded, surprising me a bit.

"Okay, why?"

"Well, Jesus told me he died on the cross so we could go see his Dad."

In my mind's eye, I saw Jesus, with Colton on his lap, brushing past all the seminary degrees, knocking down theological treatises stacked high as skyscrapers, and boiling down fancy words like propitiation and soteriology to something a child could understand: "I had to died on the cross so that people on earth could come see my Dad."

Colton's answer to my question was the simplest and sweetest declaration of the gospel I have ever heard. 

I thought again about the difference between grown-up and childlike faith.

Driving down Broadway, I decided I liked Colton's way better. For a couple of minutes, I cruised along in silence. Then I turned to him and smiled. "Hey, do you wanna preach on Sunday?"

(From pp. 111-112 of Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent)

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The most important message that we can take to the world, the most transforming news of all: Jesus came so that we might know his Abba Father as our very own.