Moving to Wordpress

Well, I have avoided it for a years, but I finally gave in to the superior blog options Wordpress offers... You can now find me at my new and continuing to be developed Wordpress home.

www.jasonclarkis.com

I wont be closing this blog and will probably continue to post here for a little longer. But eventually I plan on permanently residing on my new blog. Hope to see ya there!

- Jason

Surrendered and Untamed Free Album Download

About a week ago I decided it was time to make some new friends. So I did something that I learned when I was in kindergarten - I shared. I have given the album away to nearly 1000 new friends!! Very soon I will be emailing them to see if can I come over for dinner.

If you haven't got the album yet...

NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Enjoy!

And Before the Coffee is Fully Brewed...

Anthony & Mary Keith Skinner recently visited the Clark's. It was like streams in the desert. I hadn't realize how lonely I’ve felt for the past several years until I was sitting across the table with a new friend. I have some amazing friends… some of them are in Dallas and Jackson and Seattle… Eye contact and shared coffee is priceless...

You know what was really refreshing about the Skinners visit? They didn’t visit us for them. That's not to say we weren't good company, or that we didn’t bless the Skinners, I mean, we are pretty amazing. But my point is, they didn’t come for them; they came for us. They walked through the door and started loving us before the coffee was fully brewed. People who have lived immersed in the Fathers love, well, they love. They can’t help it. You see; they’ve become love.

Karen and I have begun to live this way as well. We are daily becoming convinced in our Fathers always-good love. And so, we too are becoming love. You know what the best thing is about becoming love? It's not hard to love, you don’t have to try. All you have to do is walk through the door and before the coffee is fully brewed… well...

Jesus was love. It wasn’t hard for Him either. He didn’t have to try. All He had to do was keep His eyes on His Dad. His Dad was Love too.

We went to hear the Skinners sing at The Queen City Church the Sunday night before they headed home. It was beautiful, sweet, and powerful. It was all those things for several reasons. First, as my friend Andy Squyres says, Anthony's voice is a million bucks. So there was that. But it was also beautiful, sweet, and powerful for a profoundly simpler reason; the Skinners weren’t there for themselves, they were there for all of us.

Mid-strum, Anthony muted his strings and paused for a moment, “I used to try and love God...” my new friend said from the stage. He was sitting on a stool, Mary Keith next to him. “...but now I just let Him love me.”

And before the coffee was fully brewed…

You want to know how a person becomes love; you want to know how a person can live for another? It has nothing to do with trying…

The Oscillating God

The Philippines is the hottest most humid place I have ever been in my life. New Orleans in July doesn’t hold a candle to its suffocating heat…

I lay in my homemade sleeping bag, a queen size sheet that Karen had halved and sown shut at the bottom before the trip. My head was on a rolled t-shirt; one of my last clean ones. The mosquito netting hung from an exposed beam above my head, cocooning me. It kinda worked; at least, it kept more mosquitoes from getting in. And the ones that slept with me were well gorged.

I doubted the net would stop the rats that ran across the beams over our heads but they seemed to have some place to go and were thankfully uninterested in the sweaty sleeping men beneath them. Strike that, the sweaty horizontal men. No one was sleeping. And our minds weren’t on the disagreeable plywood floor, the hungry mosquitoes, or the busy indisposed rats. The only thing that existed in our universe at that moment was the oscillating fan.

I wanted to find the fella that had invented the damned beautiful thing and hug, and then strangle him. My emotions where as fickle as the wind. The fan was my delight and my torture. There were five of us attempting to sleep on the second floor of the two story tin shack located on the side of a Filipino volcano. For the brief seconds the moving air brushed my clammy skin I knew to the core of my being that God was good and he loved me. “Oh God.” I sighed. And then the stupid fan moved on and I would begin to doubt, “Oh God!” I cried out again, this time in desperation.

Much of my life I have served an oscillating God. You know, the fella with the fickle nature. The guy that has sunshine and ponies in one hand and the Skill saw in the other. I have determined His nature through the lens of my needs. When life was sweet, with demands met, health great, and friendships deep and true, I’d sigh blissfully “Oh God.”

But life isn’t always sweet. Skill saws happen. And when the valley of the shadow of death is upon us, that’s when we must know to our core that our Fathers nature doesn’t change. He isn’t fickle. He hasn’t gotten tired of us, or changed His mind about us. He hasn’t turned His heart from us; He’s not judging us, or condemning us. He is still the same always-good Love He has always been.

I am growing in my revelation regarding my Fathers heart toward me, “Only goodness and love all the days of my life,” that’s what I say. I say it when life is a “mountaintop” and I am learning to say it when life is a “valley.”

My Father doesn't Oscillate! His love is steadfast and relentless. His love is pure and beautiful. His love pursues me, enraptures me, consumes me. His love is the beginning, the end, the before, the after, and everything in between. His love is good - always!

Always-good love

I have prayed when Karen starts to get a migraine, “Father, heal Karen’s migraine in Jesus name.” And we have thanked and praised Him for His always-good love as the headache that typically becomes a migraine fades away.

I have also prayed against a coming migraine and watched, feeling helpless, as Karen still gets the migraine. And yet, while she is in pain, we have hurdled the disappointment and thanked and praised our Father for His always-good love.

We have trusted our Father absolutely in our finances, risking everything to start a company. Karen and I watched God come through miraculously giving us favor and increase. As the company prospered, we thanked and praised our Father for His always-good love.

We have trusted our Father completely in our finances, risking everything while we gave the company back to Him. Karen and I have hurdled the disappointment of a failed business and substantial debt. And as we wondered how to pay the mounting bills, we thanked and praised Him for His always-good love.

We are becoming convinced that His love is perfected in His goodness – always.

We are learning that if we measure our Fathers good love by our interpretation of a need met, then we will eventually be forced to re-define His good love. God is love and He is always good – period. The moment His goodness must be re-defined, He is no longer always good. If we define His love by a need met, then if at some point the need appears to go unmet, we set ourselves up for a crisis of faith.

Its about Faith. While Faith always looks like risk; faith is about trust. Faith believes that He loves me and His love is perfected in His goodness. It’s our trust in our Fathers always-good love that empowers us to hurdle the disappointment - to still believe.

AND, it sets us up to know more of His always-good love...

A Message From My Father

My heavenly Father is speaking right now, can you hear Him? My Dad says...

“I love you. I love you when you are high and when you’re low. Do you believe me?

I love you when you mess up; I love you when you come running back. I love you when you reject my grace; I love you when you embrace my goodness. I always love you. Do you believe me?

I love, you, when you doubt, when you are disillusioned, when you hate me, when you are angry, when you are confused, when you are disappointed, when you speak poorly about me. When you don't believe me.

I loved you yesterday; I love you today, tomorrow and for all eternity. I find you to be amazing, I find you to be stunning, I am mesmerized by you. I love you. Do you believe me?"

Goodness & Love - Part 2, Psalm 23

This excerpt continues from "The Skill Saw Father" excerpt and is taken from a message I gave on 5-13-11 at Christ Community Church near Atlanta. This message launched a four week mens study group around the S&U film guidebook.

In this excerpt I delve into Psalm 23 and Davids revelation of an always good and loving Father. To hear or download the message in it's entirety CLICK HERE

The message is titled "Goodness and Love."


I also have a blog that delves deeper into this revelation. To read CLICK HERE

Goodness & Love - Part 1, The Skill Saw Father

This excerpt is taken from a message I gave on 5-13-11 at Christ Community Church near Atlanta. This message launched a four week mens study group around the S&U film guidebook.

In this excerpt I explain how important it is to understand the nature of our heavenly Father. To hear or download the message in it's entirety CLICK HERE

The message is titled "Goodness and Love."

Its a powerful message that the church is growing in today. One that will set us free to become world changers!



I also have a three part series on this blog that delve deeper into this revelation. To read part one CLICK HERE
Part two CLICK HERE
Part three CLICK HERE

Prone to Love (6) - Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was short and he was also a sinner – no relation. Zacchaeus was a man who was unfamiliar with Love - mostly because as I just stated, he was a sinner, but also because he was a chief tax collector. It’s assumed that he used his position of power to steal from, and cheat the people in his hometown of Jericho.

One day, while sitting in a tree in order to catch a glimpse of the arriving famous fella from Nazareth, Zacchaeus encountered the good news. He met Jesus, who loves both sinners and apparently even tax collectors.

I imagine you know the story. It’s found in Luke. It’s also been wonderfully preserved in a children’s song that employs the words wee and little. As Jesus is walking through the crowded street past Zacchaeus’ tree, he looks up and by name he greets the short fella. “Zacchaeus, I must come to your house tonight!” He says. And then Jesus, Love in human form, the Son of God, goes to the wee little sinner’s place for dinner.

Now I want to point something out that is absolutely stunning. Not once does Jesus mention Zacchaeus’ sinful ways. Not once did He chastise him, correct him, or challenge him. There was not even insinuation or eye rolling. No suggestive mothering tone in Jesus voice, quite the opposite. Jesus actions are loud and clear. “I love you and I am going to treat you the way my Father see’s you. He value’s you, He see’s goodness in you, and I will celebrate you.” Jesus honors Zacchaeus. There was no shame, no condemnation. There was only Love.

Then the coolest thing happens; Zacchaeus is transformed. Where just moments earlier we had a sinner, now suddenly we have a saint. The old sinner, now saint, declares that he will give half of what he owns to the poor and return four times what he stole.

How did this happen? Jesus was the Father revealed. Zacchaeus saw his Father and then himself from his Fathers perspective. Zacchaeus was living in one reality when he was introduced to a greater revelation – Love. From his Fathers perspective, Zacchaeus was supernaturally generous, he was prone to love. Zacchaeus encountered Love, saw Himself from Loves perspective, and decided to agree with how Love saw him.

I would like to suggest that this is how our heavenly Father always interacts with us. He determines to see us through the heart of Love. Every encounter I have ever had with God has been this way. He is intent on me knowing He loves me. And it is His greatest desire that I believe Him. When I meet with Him, there is never condemnation, shame, or guilt. He never seems interested in bringing up my past weaknesses or failures. Instead, when I find myself in his presence, I am simply humbled by His good love.

Hear me, I am not saying I am unaware of where I’ve failed, it’s just that I am infinitely more aware of who He is and that He dwells in me. I am not belittling sin; I am praising His love. I am not ignoring evil, I am celebrating His goodness.

I am convinced that God so desires us to know and believe His love simply because in doing so we are set free to become saints.

The bible makes it clear, Zacchaeus was a thief and a liar, he had a sinful nature, he was prone to wander. But one encounter with Love changed everything. In the natural, Zacchaeus was a sinner, but when he saw and encountered Love, he was transformed into a saint. It’s not in the nature of a sinner to give like he gave. But it is in the nature of a saint. Saints are generous. And saints have the capacity to give supernaturally.

As a believer I am learning that what I think about me should always be determined by what my heavenly Father thinks about me. I so want to see myself from my His perspective. You see, through Gods eyes, Zacchaeus wasn’t a self-centered, small-minded, thieving, liar; he was a generous large-hearted believer who was capable of giving more than half of what he owned away. When we see ourselves through Gods eyes, we become saints, capable of all the things that sinners aren’t.

The moment Zacchaeus realized God saw him as generous he became generous. It’s that simple. I would like to suggest that this is how we become world changers. We simply encounter Gods nature and agree with it. We simply experience a revelation of our Fathers love and live in agreement with it. In His love I am a generous man! I am kind, and patient, and merciful, I’m full of grace. In His love, I am prone to love... and so are you!

Prone to Love (5) - From Sinner to Saint

The power of the song “Come Thou Fount” is the revelation that we can always know His Love. The song is about a journey to the cross. It is the good news that just keeps getting better. But the song is the begging of a story, not the end. You see, the cross is the launching pad, the foundation, the slingshot that propels us into the victorious, miraculous, greater works existence Jesus modeled and told us we had access to. The cross is only beautiful because of the empty tomb. We celebrate his death because of His resurrection. The power of Love is perfected when sinners become saints. That was the whole point of Jesus death and resurrection - that we would encounter Love and become love.

Jesus never once was “prone to wander” or “prone to leave the God He loved.” He came earth to settle that exact issue once and for all. He came to set us free that we too might see, encounter, and become love; that we might be transformed from prone to wander, to prone to love Him!

I think that if a person sings the line “prone to wander” as a testimony, it is stunning, powerful, life-changing revelation. But when a Christian, as a proclamation, sings those lyrics, they are debilitating and destructive. While the song is brilliant theology for the sinner, it is devastating theology for the saint.

I no longer sing “prone to wander.” I can’t, it’s not true; my Dad said so. Instead, when I sing this beautiful hymn, by faith I agree with how my Father see’s me. I sing, “prone to love you Lord I feel it, prone to serve the God I love.” And I can't help but cry tears of joy while I sing this. Why? Because not only is it the cry of my heart, but because of my beautiful best friend Jesus, it's true!

My journey is a headlong discovery of my Fathers love. There is no greater discovery ever made and I am learning like my grandmother, the discovery of His love sets me free to become love. In fact, my revelation of my Fathers love is what transforms me…

Prone to Love (4) - Faith

Ethan recently got a brand new Buffalo Bills jersey. When he walked into the room wearing it, he was smiling ear to ear. Then he asked me an awesome question, “Dad, do I look as good as I feel?” I laughed, “Son, you look even better than you feel!”

I think the reason it is so easy to believe we are prone to wander is because we have all done some wandering. We have all turned our backs on Love; we have all sinned. I get it. I have lived with me my whole life. I have had a front row seat to my failures. I’ve been there when I did something that I am not proud of.”

That said, this whole “prone to love Him” thing, it’s about faith. Faith is not discovered in our feelings, it’s not determined by our surroundings, and it’s not controlled by our past. Faith is birthed in the discovery of our Fathers nature. And it’s always about a future and a hope. In fact, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I would like to suggest that while it takes no faith to believe we are prone to wander, it takes great faith to believe we are prone to love Him.

Jesus told us that without faith, we can’t please God. It’s a leap of amazing faith to agree with our Father regarding our righteous nature when there is plenty of evidence to prove otherwise. And I’m convinced this is the “faith” that truly pleases Him.

You see, faith is the currency of Gods Kingdom and what we spend our faith on determines how we live. If I believe I am evil, then every bad thought confirms it. If I believe I am unholy, then every failure confirms it. If I believe I am unworthy, then instead of running to Love in the midst of temptation, or hardship, I hide. If I believe I am prone to wander simply because I have, then I have determined that my past is more powerful than Gods Love. If I believe I am prone to leave God because I feel like it, then my feelings might as well be my gospel.

I am on an amazing journey in which I am discovering the same thing my grandmother discovered. Because of Jesus life, death, and resurrection, I am no longer prone to wander. Just the opposite, I am prone to love Him! The moment I said yes to Jesus, my very nature underwent a radical transformation.

I am growing in my Fathers love. I am growing in faith. I am choosing to believe that what Jesus did at the cross was enough and in Him, well, I look good! I am choosing to see myself from my Fathers perspective and agree with Him. And every time I see myself from Dad’s perspective, I hear Dad say, “Son, you look even better than you feel!”

Dear church, I would like to suggest that we are holy by nature. Our DNA changed the moment we said yes to Jesus and we are now righteous. We are saints. Our heavenly Father sees us through the love of His Son as powerful, and with all His authority. He sees the goodness in our hearts. He sees the love that we have for others. He sees world changing generosity, mercy, grace, and kindness. He see’s spiritual giants who will transform the world with His love - if we would just take the leap of faith and agree with Him...

Prone to Love (3) - The Conversation

I ran into a friend the other day at Starbucks. I was leaving and she was just arriving. It didn’t take long however, before we both found a seat, as our conversation was invaded by Gods always good love.

After quick hellos, our discussion stumbled into a topic much debated at church water coolers across the US. She wanted to know my thoughts regarding a controversial Christian book that had recently released. I hadn’t read the book at the time, so I had no opinion on its content. But I sure loved the title…

I told her so. Then, almost as an aside, she asked, “Are you writing anything controversial these days?”

“Not in my opinion.” I laughed, “That said, I have discovered that many Christians find one of my messages to be controversial.” Having missed out on the first controversy she was game for a new one. “What is it,” she asked smiling.

"Did you know that both you and I are prone to love Him, we are righteous, we are inherently good, holiness is in our DNA?”

I watched her face as I spoke. By the time I was finished telling her how amazing we were, I could tell that we had found something “controversial” to talk about. I was excited, its always fun to tell someone how God sees them.

I laughed, “You don’t believe me, do you?”

She smiled, “Well, I guess… I have always been taught that we have a sinful nature… What do you mean by prone to love Him?”

That’s when I told her about my grandmother. Then, because she didn’t know my grandmother, I threw a few scriptures in to make it legal.

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)”

And

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

And

“Anyone who is a child of God does no sin, because he still has God's seed in him; he is not able to be a sinner, because God is his Father.” (1st John 3:9)

And

…put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

I continued, “When we said yes to Jesus, our old sinful nature died with Him on the cross. The old self, or the old things, has passed away; they’re dead. We are now new creations in Christ; we are “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Over the next half hour I shared about how our heavenly Father always looks at us through the lens of Jesus’ death and resurrection and therefore He always likes what He sees. Not only does He look at us through His Son, He has invited us to agree with Him regarding how He sees us.

While we may often feel like spirituals dwarfs, He sees us as spiritual giants. While we may occasionally act like sinners, He still treats us like saints. While we may be convinced we are prone to wander, He believes we are prone to love. I think the journey all believers are on is a journey like that of my grandmother. We live to discover our Fathers love and become transformed until one day we can agree with
God not just about His nature but also about our own.

I could see as I talked that she was becoming both excited and also a little nervous. She was excited because just maybe it was true, and if so, it was wonderfully good news. She was nervous because, well, she has lived a long time with herself…

Prone to Love (2) - Come Thou Fount

Robert Robinson was born in 1735. He lost his father at the age of 10. His mother, believed to have been a strong Christian, had a desire to see her son grow to become a minister. However, Robert was willfully lost. When he turned 14 his mother sent him to London to apprentice with a barber. For the next several years Robert lived a life of drinking and gambling. Robert was prone to wander.

At the age of seventeen, he and his drinking buddies went to a meeting where evangelist George Whitfield was preaching. Apparently they were planning on mocking those in attendance but upon hearing the message, Robert's heart was assaulted by Love.

The following three years Robert wrestled with God. In 1755, at the age of twenty, He won by surrendering. As a side note, God won too! It’s what we in the Kingdom call, a “win/win.”

Three years after Robert said yes to Love, he composed a song. This song is stunning in its revelation.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.

The song has four stanzas in total and for the last 250 years it has captured hearts. The lyrics and melody coalesce beautifully to reveal and releases the wonder of grace and the power of Love. Many have sung this song while in their own wrestling match with God. There have been many win/win’s because of Roberts revelation.

This song was Roberts story. It was a testimony of one sinner’s journey to the “mount of Thy redeeming love!” It’s the prodigal son epic. Its one of the most stunning stories in the universe because its not just Roberts, its ours. Every one of us who have said yes to Love, have tasted and touched, been immersed and redeemed, restored and made whole.

All of us are on a journey like Roberts. We live to discover our Fathers Love. And while this song is powerful in that revelation, I would also like to suggest that the journey doesn’t end at the discovery; that’s just the beginning.

Prone to Love (1) - Grandma Eva

Grandma’s lips always moved. If you were close enough you could sometimes catch a few phrases.

“Thank-you Jesus. I love you Jesus. You are so precious.”

Elmer and Eva were the kindest and most gracious people on the planet. I am not exaggerating. They never spoke harshly of anyone; they were never critical and always giving. What they had was yours. My dad tells stories from his childhood about how the neighbor boys referred to Grandma as the “God Lady.” They would sneak into the Clark house anytime of the day and help themselves to the cookies in the cookie jar. Apparently one day Grandma caught them red handed. Then kindly she said, “Now boys, you can have cookies whenever you want, all you need do is ask.”

There is a verse in Daniel that describes my grandparents. “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” My grandma and grandpa, they were those saints. When you were around them you could almost taste it, smell it, feel it - heaven was that close.

My grandparents lived in Gods love. They gave over half their income to missions; their home was open to everyone. And there was almost always someone living with them. In my younger years, I often wondered if some of these people took advantage of their generosity. But looking back, I realize now that it’s impossible to take advantage of love.

Grandpa lived to be 95; he went home first. Grandma followed at the age of 100. After Grandma died, I miraculously found myself in possession of an amazing, holy, historical, Clark birthright - her Bible. I remember helping pack up some of my grandparent’s things at their house. Somehow, I ended up with the box containing grandpa’s cool Sinatra hat and grandma’s bible. It honestly wasn’t intentional.

I am not proud of this, but when I realized I had the Bible, and that no one in my family knew it, well, lets just say, I was almost tempted beyond what I could bear. It took me weeks to let the cat out of the bag. Personally, I thought it was God ordained.

Dad finally sequestered it, but not before I had a chance to read through and scan some of the contents. I still have the cool hat.

I realize I am going on about this Bible but you have to understand, this was her bible for over 50 years! Some of my heritage as a lover of God has been documented and preserved in its pages. It was like having a personalized road map to my inheritance. This bible is marked on nearly every page and in every ink color you can imagine. It is filled with personalized notes and poems about Gods grace, and mercy, and kindness, and most of all, His love.

In fact, Gods love seemed to be the singular pursuit of my Grandmother. There were several hand written notes, and poems she had cut out of papers, and magazines.

“For the love of God is broader than the measure of mans mind. And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.”

And

“He drew a circle that shut me out, heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win, we drew a circle that took him in!”

Honestly, while writing this, I am overwhelmed and infinitely grateful by how my grandparents lived. They truly were world changers, heroes in the faith, saints. They lived in such an intimate friendship with Jesus and their prayers never ceased; for their kids, their grandkids, their great grandkids...

Even though they are now in heaven, I still feel the echoes of their prayers; I see the evidence in my life and the lives of my kids. I am their legacy, as are my kids and so on. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You see, when saints pray, the Kingdom is possessed, today, and for the ages that come.

My cousins, Chris and Jonathan, had the privilege of growing up in the same town as my grandparents. Since their passing I have heard many stories about their lives. Recently, however, I heard a new story about grandma Eva as told by my cousin Jonathan that just absolutely amazed me. I recognized it immediately because it is my story as well, it was a mile marker on a road map to my inheritance. But its not just for me, I believe I am meant to share with you as well.

Grandma and Grandpa went to church whenever there was a service. They participated in every way. Jonathan was with Grandma one Sunday morning. During worship Jonathan noticed she was not singing the words. Grandma was a worshiper; she always sang the words.

The congregation was singing the famous and beautiful Hymn “Come Thou Fount.” As Jonathan tells it, Grandma was not only not singing, she seemed slightly agitated.

The piano led the voices,

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter; bind my wandering heart to Thee.

To Jonathan, Grandma’s lack of participation was almost stubborn.

Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.

Grandma seemed perturbed by this line. Grandma was the most patient and kind woman on the planet. Perturbed was so out of character for her that Jonathan became concerned. Finally, he leaned over.

“Grandma, what’s wrong?” He whispered.

Grandma said, “I’m not prone to wander Jonathan. I love Him.”

...

Discovering His Presence

I lay in bed with Ethan last night. We listened to the storm blowing just outside his window. Ethan is my nine year old.

Ethan loves football. He thinks about

it at least half of the time. Lately our bedtime routine has involved a new home made game. I lay on the bed and he sits next to me. One of us will throw a football up to the ceiling and then we play receiver/defender and wrestle over the ball while Ethan gives the commentary, “Interception!” or “The ball is loose,” or “Clark has stripped the ball away. Touchdown! And the crowd goes wild!”

Normally bedtime becomes a frenzied father-son wrestling match. But last night we just lay motionless, mesmerized by the rain that was being blown against the house. Earlier we had stood on the front porch spellbound by the power of the storm. To us, it seemed a small miracle that the trees in our front yard weren’t ripped out of the ground and blown away.

“Ethan” I finally broke the silence. “Can you feel Gods presence right now?” I asked.

“I don’t know dad.” He said,

“What’s He saying to you right now?” I asked.

Ethan looked at me, “He loves me?” He asked, looking for conformation. I confirmed it with a hug. “He does! Do you believe it?”

Ethan smiled, “Yes.”

I continued, “His presence is right here, right now. Lets ask Him to reveal Himself.” I continued, “Father, come make your love known.” Immediately God filled the room. For the next ten minutes while I lay there and held Ethan, my body trembled with His presence. His love was so real. It was wholly unexplainable and absolutely glorious. And we laughed.

After a little while, Ethan began to ask questions, “Dad, how do you know God’s presence and if it’s Him speaking to you and not just your imagination?”

This is what I told him, “Buddy, when our Heavenly Father speaks to us, it is always about His love. He is always saying one thing, ‘I love you.’ And He is always asking one question, ‘Do you believe me?’ So if you are unsure whether it’s God, you simply have to determine if the thoughts and feelings you are having increase your love for Him, yourself and others. If they do, then that’s God speaking to you and you are in His presence.”

I have discovered that to encounter my heavenly Father, I must become convinced in my theology – God is Love. Its absolutely essential that at all times, regardless of my circumstances, or what others say about God, that I believe to the very core of my being that He is Love. You see, I have learned that believing Gods is Love is the precursor to an encounter. To the extent that I’m convinced He is Love, is to the extent that I can recognize when Love is in the room. And He is in the room, always!

When it comes to my kids, I am keen on them experiencing their own encounters with Love. I can be the best father in the world but if I don’t present them with opportunities to touch and experience the heart of God, I have missed my true calling as a parent. I am intent on my kids meeting and becoming familiar with Gods presence, His love, as I believe that it’s the key to living a full life, a life of faith, a life where every dream is available.

Collide Magazine - Surrendered & Untamed

"It was freezing, but not the kind of cold that Joel had experienced in his home in DC. It was the kind of cold that could kill you in minutes. It hit -35 degrees without the windshield. With the 55 miles an hour winds, Joel was told it was as cold as -50..."

To read the entire article CLICK HERE

S&U Promo - Pastor Resources Cover

Today, "Pastor Resources" magazine released with Mark Batterson and the S&U DVD on its cover. Baker is giving away the S&U DVD to the first 500 pastors who fill out the request form. You can go there now and check out the magazine online. Hint, we are on page 51.

In conjunction with the magazine release, we have set up a special page on the S&U website where you can go and watch chapter three of S&U "Awaken Your Soul at the Edge of the World" as well as download the corresponding chapter of the Participants Guide. To go to this page CLICK HERE

We also have made chapter one of my book, "Surrendered & Untamed, A Field Guide for the Vagabond Believer" available for download. CLICK HERE

Bono and I Have the Same Best Friend

Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don't let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that's my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that's not so easy.

Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn't so "peace and love"?

...

Click HERE for the rest of the interview

The Skill Saw Father - Part Three

Truth is, some one did have to pay. Truth is, He already did.

I have lived most of my life thinking God was in control. It’s only been in the last six years or so that I have begun to realize with growing amazement and thankfulness that He isn’t about control at all. Quite the opposite, He is about authority. He has all authority. That’s what Jesus said in my Bible. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Jesus)… Mat 28:18.”

Jesus didn’t come live here with us, die for us and rise again so he could be in control. He came to give us His authority. Control and authority are two entirely different things; control operates in the reality of need, authority is about love.

My Bible also says that it was for freedom that Jesus set me free (Gal 5:1). While control enslaves, authority sets me free. My heavenly Father has been absolutely amazing at working His freedom in me. As He’s revealed His love – His presence, His goodness, I’ve begun to discover that His love conflicted greatly with the lie that was buried ever so deep in my subconscious. His love is always bigger than the lie.

I am daily choosing to believe a radical truth about the nature of God. This truth has changed everything. The truth? Goodness is not a sometimes deal with God.

Goodness is an extension of His nature, of His love. It’s absolute; it’s not a theory, or a concept. It’s a greater revelation. It’s a truth we can either believe fully or not at all. Our Heavenly Father is fully, completely good, all the time. And if we can learn to believe this, we have found the core value by which everything in life is measured.

As I have decided to believe the “good news” I’ve been set free. Free to discover all the wonders of His goodness.

I have scanned my memory and talked in depth with my siblings. In my thorough investigation, I am confident in this next statement being absolutely 100% true. My dad never used a Skill saw on my siblings or me to get our attention or to teach us any lessons. In fact, I am sure that it never even crossed his mind. Now I realize that my dad is one of the top ten dads in world history. But even if he were just an average dad, I am confident that the skill saw would never have entered the equation.

If my dad wants to get my attention, he calls me by my name – the one he gave me. If he wants to teach me something, he shows me by how he lives. If he wants to impart to me, he reveals his heart with his words and actions. He’s always wanted the best for me and to this day he places high value on my thumbs.

I believe that there is a great shift that takes place in our hearts the day we decide to agree with the truth that God is always good, that it is impossible for a good Father to use skill saws on his kids. When we see our Father as he truly is, we are free to discover the authority of His Love; the same Love that Jesus displayed, the same authority He died and rose again to give us.

This authority is the greater works love that answers every controlling need that humankind faces. Jesus said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, now go make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:18) Essentially, now go live in the same authority.

Our authority is about becoming sure in His love, secure in his goodness. Our authority is found when we see the true nature of our heavenly Father and then chose to both agree and align our hearts in that revelation.

The Skill Saw Father - Part Two

If the truth sets us free, then a lie enslaves us. The lie that God is in control can make us horribly sick. When we believe that God is about control then we are forced to believe things that aren’t true and see things that aren’t real. That’s what happened to me.

I walked around for years subtly believing that the flu was the response to some sin in my life. When my car was broken into, God let it happen to help me refocus on the disciplines of my faith. When I didn’t get the job I wanted and needed, it probably was because I didn’t love God enough. If the furnace broke in my home, God may have instigated it so I could learn how to trust Him with my finances. Or maybe he was disciplining me because of my poor financial planning. Essentially, life’s hardships were sent or allowed by my Father to teach me how to live better, stay disciplined, and love Him more.

It’s not that I didn’t see and experience the goodness of God through life’s journey. It’s just that the power of His goodness was sadly reduced to the limits enforced by the lie that existed in my heart about His nature. I was enslaved to the lie that my Heavenly Father was a controlling bi-polar fella; one day full of love, the next wielding a skill saw. I lived insecure in my relationship with Him never sure what was next.

Whether saved or unsaved, what we believe about the nature of our God determines how we relate with Him and directly affects our freedom. When we believe that God is about control, then when something goes wrong, someone has to be blamed. If we are believers, then for the most part, we blame others or ourselves. For unbelievers it’s a little easier to blame God.

The news calls natural disasters “Acts of God.” And sadly, much of the church still teaches that the city struck by a disaster had it coming due to its sin. Thus revealing that we agree with the world’s assessment of a petty controlling God. That makes me sad…

If we believe God is about control, it affects everything. Every experience and encounter is filtered through the insecurity of our small God. A control-based perspective of God is evidenced from the subtle anxiety we experience in our heart when the furnace breaks down, to the blatant sense of righteousness when a rapist gets the death penalty. Control births blame and someone has to pay...

The Skill Saw Father - Part One

There were a couple years when my family lived in Western NY. We had a house on Cedar St, which was located just a few blocks from the church school we attended. At that time I was around eleven years old, my sister Aimee was ten, and my brother Joel was eight. Because we lived so close, we often walked to and from school.

Coming home from school one day, we discovered not only Moms car but also Dads truck in the driveway. Dad’s truck was never in the driveway before 5PM. We ran into the house excitedly looking for him. Mom met us at the door. Dad had been in an accident.

My dad had a construction company at the time and had been on a job site. Apparently while cutting a 2x4, the skill saw snagged on the wood, bounced out of his right hand and landed on the left. Then the saw proceeded to crawl up his arm. He had several deep gashes. The worst was his thumb, which he almost severed.

I walked into the bedroom with my brother and sister. Dad was in bed, his hand bandaged. He had been sleeping but was now awake and sitting up. He smiled at us. Then he showed us his bandages and told us how it happened, and how he should have been more careful, and how the doctors barely saved his thumb. Yes, it hurt, but he had medicine now and felt better. Yes, lots of blood…

When my dad finished explaining the accident, my brother and sister’s interest waned. Not me, I moved to the next - to me - obvious question. “Why did it happen?” I asked. I didn’t just want to know how; I had to know why. “Why” was one of my favorite questions as a kid. …It still seems to come up from time to time.

As a kid I put my dad in some tough situations with that question. “Dad, why did God let Keith Green die?” , “Dad, why does God let the African children die of hunger” And finally, “Dad, why do you think you nearly cut your thumb off, why would God let it happen?”

My dad would have a completely different answer to that question if it were asked today. But at the time, my Dad had been fed bad a lie. And it caused him see and say things that weren’t true… so he said,

“I think God may be trying to get my attention.”

It was a lie. But at the time, my dad believed it, and so did I. Its not that I made an intentional theological decision regarding the nature of God, I was eleven, but my subconscious bought it. The idea that my Heavenly Father uses skill saws, that He either orchestrates or just allows bad things to happen to people so He might get their attention, or teach them a lesson, or to get them to do His will- it became a part of my spiritual DNA.

It’s a lie that is as old as humankind. It’s a lie that was birthed in the Garden of Eden. Everyday, both believers and unbelievers buy into it. Like me they swallow it down and then pass it along. In my opinion, it’s the worst kind of lie. It’s the worst because it distorts the true nature of our Heavenly Father. It implies that God is in control...

God Doesn't Lead Us Into Valleys

I am writing on a daily basis. Its a very sweet season we are in, precious to me. I get to write for anywhere from four to six hours almost every day. I also get to write in several different veins. I try and take the weekends off but its hard to stop the wheels from turning...

I have posted a beautiful and growing revelation that is rocking my world. Its going to go in the chapter on intimacy in the book I am writing - one of the veins. I wanted to share it here.

God Doesn't Lead Us Into Valleys

I would like to suggest that there was a foundational truth that David discovered about the nature of God that gave him access to intimacy with God. It was simply this. God is good and full of love; He does not lead me into valleys, He only has good intentions for me.

I believe this revelation is what defined David’s identity. It was the core conviction through which every life experience was filtered.

David writes a beautiful psalm that reveals his revelation of God and how it defined his life perspective. It’s the 23rd Psalm, one most of us know. It begins with a proclamation of God as the leader and provider of his life.

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.

David continues in the same vein,

He (God) makes me lie down in green pastures. He, leads me, He restores my soul, he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name sake.

In the first part of the psalm, David lets us know that it is God who is leading him, and that God is leading him in good things. He is led to green pastures, led to still waters, in paths of righteousness. But as David’s journey continues, the language shifts.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil…

I love this verse because it says something so profound about David and his revelation of Father God. In fact, I think it’s the main revelation that David possessed that allowed for him to live as a man after Gods own heart.

The revelation was simply this; God does not lead him into valleys of the shadow of death. While David has no problem acknowledging that valleys exist and that there are enemies in those valleys, he gives God no credit for these things in his life. God does not do that sort of thing – He is good and full of love.

David had a perspective, a revelation of who God is that allowed for him to experience valleys without blaming God for them. In fact, once we find David in the valley, the language shifts again.

I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

I love this verse! David's journey once again becomes a testament of who God is in his life. And get this, in the valley, the language shifted from the early proclamation of He to the first person intimacy of You. David not only knew the valley was not Gods doing, it was this revelation that allowed him access to God in a much more intimate way.

I am convinced that David was able to be intimately aware of God’s presence in the valley because he was never offended in the valley. How could he be offended when it wasn’t in Gods heart for him to be in the valley? Somehow, David understood a New Testament revelation better than many of us living here now – on the other side of the cross.

The revelation? First, God is always good and full of love. Second, while valleys exist, God does not create them, and He never leads us into them - ever. Not only that, the valley is a place of intimate access to our Heavenly Father. He is there to lead us through.

The last verse of Psalm 23 show us that David new the true nature of God.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I’m convinced that David was able to maintain a heart after Gods presence because he knew God. He knew even before the revelation was fully available (pre-cross) that God is always good and full of love. That every plan God has for us is good. And if there are valleys, they have nothing to do with Him. How else does this man make it through all of his trials and still believe at the end.

I don’t know if you have ever thought about this but you cant be “a man or woman after Gods own heart” unless you know Gods heart. To know Gods heart means time spent chasing it, and catching it - time spent in His presence. And David, a man who was practiced in Gods presence, a man who knew Gods heart, tells us that Gods heart is for us. Surely goodness and love!

Bigger than Bathtubs

Tomorrow the book releases. This is a short clip re-telling a story that can also be found in the book.

Excerpt taken from; Chapter Three, Monday Morning - Bathtubs or Oceans



"...Suddenly God spoke to my heart and said, “Jason, the promises I have for you are the size of the ocean. Don’t get distracted by bathtubs.”

The Moral?

Not all water is created equal. Your promise, my promise—it’s huge! It’s as big as the ocean. We can’t afford to lose sight of it or we will be tempted to settle for bathtubs..."

S&U - Practiced in His Presence

The S&U trilogy releases Tuesday. Below is another excerpt from the book.

Chapter Twelve, Its Our Birthright - Practiced in His Presence

I turn my face to a blazing sun
Your glory falls, Your Kingdom comes

I was leading worship years ago the day the church had a guest speaker I highly respected.

When I lead worship, most of the time my eyes are closed. So I didn’t see the speaker come on the stage and stand next to me. He gently touched my arm. He had a microphone and looked like he wanted to share. I brought the song to a close. At first I thought he would have a word from God for the church, but as he spoke I realized he was talking to me.

“I would like you to take your guitar and step down off the stage,” he said kindly. As I did this, he continued. “Now turn your back to the church, face the front.” I complied. “Now worship.” I looked at him, a little confused. He smiled reassuringly and said, “Pretend we aren’t here. Worship the way you do when you are at home by yourself.”

I began to play. At first I was a little uncomfortable, I could feel the people looking, waiting. I pressed through. I began to praise God in song while playing a random chord progression. I praised Him for His goodness; I thanked Him for His love and for my wife and my new baby girl. At some point I actually forgot about the two hundred people behind me. Just like when I am alone in my living room, God’s presence became real to me. I worshiped this way for about ten minutes. I forgot the people; it was just God and me. I started to sing a song, “I am standing in Your presence on holy ground.”

As I began to sing this song, the band, still onstage, joined in. Then the two hundred people behind me joined in. That song led to another and another until we had worshiped forty minutes or so. It was a sweet time, one of my fondest worship memories to date.

When we finally came to a resting spot, the speaker was back onstage. He looked directly at me and said, “You can only take people where you have already been. If you go first, you will stir those around you to hunger for a greater revelation of God.” A greater love encounter. “You must be practiced in His presence.”

Every one of us has a promise that is way bigger than we can imagine. It’s a promise that isn’t just for us but for the world we live in. This promise isn’t found on a stage, it’s not about a title; our promise is birthed in the heart of God and is encountered in His presence.

God is looking for men and women who are not worried about being on a stage—those who aren’t seeking titles but instead are seeking His presence. We can’t take people where we haven’t been. We can’t give what we don’t have.

We must be practiced in His presence. We must know how to worship when no one is looking so we can worship where everyone can see.

David killed the bear and the lion while shepherding in obscurity before he killed the giant in a crowd. David experienced and demonstrated who God was while alone in his “living room” before he ever experienced and demonstrated who God was before a national stage.

For David, it was never about a stage, it was about the presence, and because of that, he was a king long before he wore the crown...

S&U Excerpt - The McDonald’s Miracle

Excerpt's taken from:
Chapter Six, Giant Killers - The McDonald’s Miracle

Years ago my brother Joel was living in South Africa as a youth pastor. He was headed back to his apartment one day after having been up early and serving a mission team late into the night. Exhausted and hungry, he drove past a McDonalds. The idea of a hamburger, fries, and a Coke seemed the perfect way to unwind at the end of this day. As he walked in, a few homeless street kids stood around the entrance. This wasn’t unusual, but as he started to order his Biggie-Size Mac Meal, something else was; he heard God whisper: “Buy the boys some hamburgers.”

Joel was tired and only had enough rand (South African currency) for his meal. He was slightly annoyed, thinking, “I’ve worked all day and I don’t even have enough money to get myself everything I want, let alone feed the kids outside the door.” But because Joel was learning how to live violently believing, he ran headlong into what he believed God was asking him to do.

He bought as many burgers as he could afford, five total. But as he walked out of the restaurant, he saw there were seven kids. He didn’t have enough, plus the chances of him getting one were slim. But once you start running toward a giant, it’s foolish to turn back. So, he began passing out burgers.

Now this really gets good.

As Joel passed out burgers, more kids from across the street saw what he was doing and began to make their way toward him. Still, he just kept obeying. And somewhere between God’s whisper and way too many mouths to feed, it dawned on him that he should have run out of burgers long ago. But he didn’t.

Suddenly Joel wasn’t tired anymore.

Suddenly Joel was having fun.

When he handed the last boy a burger, he looked in the bag. Yeah, you guessed it—one left over, just for Joel...

...Our promises are not guaranteed. They are more like a glimpse of what we can become if we believe, surrender, and live with wild abandon...

S&U - Dedication

Karen called me last week while I was out and said, "It's here!" When I got home I was greeted by a hugging boy and girl. Ethan and Eva hung on me as I searched the house for Karen. I found her and Maddy in our bedroom sitting on the bed. Karen was reading my newly arrived book.

When she handed it to me I was surprised by how excited I was to hold it. I kept saying, "Its just like a real book!" Karen laughed, "What did you expect? It is a real book!" Maddy laughed also saying, "Dad, you did write a book, why are you so surprised?" Ethan and Eva were more interested in jumping off the bed into my arms. I was only half catching them... I was holding my book.

This is a little embarrassing but over the next two days, I re-read my book... the book that I spent five years writing, the book I had only a month earlier read in its entirety for the audio version.

Its just that it is a real book, a real one! It has chapters, and at the top of each page it tells you what the name of the book is and what chapter you are in. How cool is that? If you happen to forget the name of the book, you don't have to flip back to the cover, it's right there at the top of the page. Not only is that incredibly convenient, its also just like a real book!

It also has endorsements in the front, and product placement in the back, and acknowledgments, and a dedication, and notes - yeah those pages that tell you what scripture I referenced, it even tells you the translation.

It was absolutely amazing to see Gods faithfulness in print. I hadn't even dreamed of being a writer six years ago, but God dreamed it. He then took me on a journey. One in which I learned how to dream His dream, live in the expectation until it became a realization.

So it is good! That said, there was one disappointment...when I got to the dedication and acknowledgments, I realized that my last edit somehow didn't make it into the book. I want to post those omissions here.

There was one name missing from the acknowledgments - that I am aware of. While in edits I read Danny Silks book "Culture of Honor". This book played a role in helping me see myself from Gods perspective. That most certainly influenced my writing. He was to be added to the paragraph were I thank spiritual fathers. Thank you Danny!

The hardest thing I discovered missing, from the dedication, was my prophetic proclamation over my kids. As I have said many times, I write for one reason, to leave a legacy of love for my kids. God spoke that over my heart soon after asking me to write and its what kept me writing for five years. While there is a beautiful dedication to Karen and my kids in the book, there was meant to be more.

For now, it will go in my blog...until the next book is finished.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife Karen and my kids, Madeleine True, Ethan Wilde and Eva Blaze – my favorites.

Karen, I can’t imagine this journey without you. You amaze me. Your love has revealed Gods love, it’s transformed me. I still can’t believe I get to do this life with you. As a bright fella once said, “I’m at your feet.”

Maddy, my “sunshine,” you have one of the brightest promises I’ve ever seen. When people meet you they cant help but shine. You are a worshiper; you revel in His love and reveal His goodness. God loves your presence!

Ethan, my “wild man,” you are gentle and fierce; your promise is powerful and will set people free. The world will never be the same because of you. God not only loves you, He likes hanging out with you - a lot!

Eva, my “bright eyes,” your promise is glorious! You’re revelation of Gods presence is wondrous, beautiful. New words will be created for Gods majesty because of your God encounters. God thinks you're stunning and loves you intensely!

I’m so loving living surrendered and untamed with you guys!

S&U Excerpt - Scary is Fun

Surrendered & Untamed, A Field Guide for the Vagabond Believer

In this video I tell a story that is also in the book. Its a story that illustrates trusting God in risk taking fashion. I am convinced that life for the believer is about collecting faith stories.



"...My little girl beat the diving board. Yes, it was too scary and too high, but she did it anyway. She jumped—for herself, for me, for the story. Years later, most of that vacation has faded from her memory, but the story of the diving board lives on. And “scary is fun” has become a household phrase....If she had not jumped, we both would have missed out. But she did jump and now she owns that story. She owns that experience. And the diving board no longer controls her fear..."

"...How do we find wild God stories? One word: experience. I believe we were created for experience—to taste and touch, to search and discover. Why else does a thirteen-month-old experience such joy in the discovery of a light switch or bubbles? OK, I get bubbles. Why is it that I find joy at the top of a mountain? And why did God leave it to Adam to name the animals? God created them, it seems He would be the best suited to name them. Yet from the beginning, God set up the universe with all of its wonders and mysteries for our discovery, for our pleasure. Our relationship with God works the same way. We have been invited to discover Him and experience His heart until we begin to see, hear, and feel as He does . . . and we find ourselves doing it for the story, our story, His story..."

Excerpts taken from Chapter Five, Do It For The Story

S&U Excerpt - Do It For The Story

This excerpt is taken from Chapter Five, Do It For The Story

“It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus.” - Bill Johnson, author of Face to Face

I want to live the best story. The kind that you find in the Bible. The kind that my kids will want to tell their kids. The kind that inspires.

Have you ever wondered why when we were kids the Bible stories read to us were meant to inspire dreams of impossibilities being made possible with God? And yet as adults, the same stories become observations of how it was “once upon a time.” Why is it that the radical miracle stories of my youth found in the Bible have become tamed three point sermons I could intellectually apply to my life now that I am an adult?

When I was a kid it was possible for boys to kill evil giants and men to walk on water. When I was a kid it was possible to live inside a whale, a raging fire and a lions den. When I was a kid it was possible to pray for the sick and watch them recover. Shadows could heal, and the dead could be raised. When I was a kid I believed that with God, all impossibilities were possible.

The best stories are the ones where life’s failures, pains, betrayals, disillusionment's, deaths - where life’s impossibilities become possibilities. If you are reading this and you no longer believe as a child, but everything in you wants to, try this statement on for size. “God, I want to believe that with You all impossibilities are possible. Show me how.”

Now here’s the thing, and I should have warned you first, after you pray this, Gods gonna start inviting you to step into your own uncomfortable, risky, rule breaking story. But it will be good, why, because all of His stories are full of the wonder of His good miraculous love...

S&U Excerpt - Revelation

A week from tomorrow the Surrendered & Untamed products will be available. I got my copies last week. It was very cool to hold the book in my hands. I kept saying, "Its like a real book, just like real book!" To which my Karen and Maddy each said, "It is a real book!"

To count down this last week before the book releases, I will be posting excerpts from the book here.

Taken from S&U, Chapter Two, He Loves Me Best - Revelation

Let me tell you how it is between my wife and me.

We could be driving down the road or sitting on the couch watching The Office when suddenly I am gripped with a revelation of how amazing Karen is. I will remember how she was so patient with our kids earlier in the day, or how she just made me coffee and I didn’t even ask for it and it was the perfect mix of coffee, cream, and sugar. Or how stunning the back of her neck is.

I will turn to her and say that simple universal phrase—“I love you”—to which she always responds, “I love you too, gorgeous.”

But sometimes in these unveiled moments I’ll stop what I’m doing and say, “Karen, I’m feeling it right now! At this exact moment I am having a revelation of my love for you! My heart, mind, and soul are loving you right now.”

“Right this instant?” She asks, her eyes bright.

“Yes, this exact moment.”

“Wow.” She smiles. “Now I’m feeling it too!”

Often this interaction is followed by an encounter. . . . That is to say, there might be a shared smile or a hug, a kiss, or—
Well, that’s none of your business.

I believe revelation, in the context of a love relationship, always leads to a greater love encounter, a greater intimacy. In fact, that’s the whole point of revelation. Karen and I have been married fifteen years. We know that we love each other, we say it all the time, we decide to all the time. But these moments of revelation are priceless. They are birthed of a pure surrender one to another, where everything in the universe aligns and our hearts, minds, and souls experience the encounter. In these moments, nothing else matters! In these moments, the truth of our love is purely revealed and is always deepened.

I am convinced that when it comes to our relationship with God, revelation is meant to lead to a greater encounter. Revelation means “to remove the veil”; it’s always about knowing in greater measure the love of God. I am also convinced that there is always more...

He Loves Me Best

We are less than two weeks away from the release of Surrendered & Untamed! In this clip I briefly touch on a message you will find in Chapter Two of my book.



If you want to hear a message I recently gave that delves deeper into this revelation click HERE

Love Trumps Need - Every Time

This is a small excerpt from the new book I am writing. There are lots of stories and funny stuff in the book... just in case you are wondering. But this is one of the core revelations and something God has been working so perfectly in Karen and I over the last years and more in depth in the last months. Its really good, but probably wont make you laugh...

Love you all!

Love Trumps Need - Every Time

Need is what defines life here on planet earth. In fact, time itself is the father of need. The universe was created as finite. Meaning there is a beginning and an end. In a finite reality, need is the principle upon which time exists, it’s the skeleton upon which reality hangs.

Need is the final singular truth by which our world operates. Humanity exists inside the confines of need. You could say that we are slaves to need. Need is the foundational structure of our DNA. It’s the defining core value of our very existence.

Need is with us when we wake and when we sleep. And it’s not an abstract idea. It’s probably the most real thing many of us know. It’s an absolute. It’s a physical reality woven into the very fabric of our planet. We need air to breathe; we need gravity to keep us from floating away. We need food to sustain our bodies. We need clothes and shelter. We need money to buy clothes and shelter. We need jobs to make money so we can buy clothes and shelter. We need a good economy to provide jobs…

Need seems to be the commodity of our very existence. We trade in the currency of need. It’s the substance that we are made of. We are one big walking, talking, breathing need.

Creation took its first breath in the reality of need. It’s not a bad thing, its actually beautiful if seen properly - through the eyes of the Creator. God created need. He created a finite reality in which men and women dwell. Then God did something odd and absolutely amazing, he put eternal spirits in finite bodies. He made humankind in His image. He breathed His Spirit, His Neuma in us.

Now here is a crazy thought, while need is the very substance of our existence, it has no place in Gods reality. Need doesn’t exist in God. Need isn’t even in His vocabulary. Need is actually counter to the nature of God. He is the beginning and the end and everything in between and everything before and everything after. He is infinite. He is complete; he is the answer, not the question.

And after the resurrection of Jesus, God invited humanity – slaves to need, to a finite reality - to live free of need in a glorious infinite revelation – Love. The core value of our very existence was redeemed from a need-based reality to an intimate love relationship.

Before Jesus resurrection, we lived in a world where every emotion, every decision and every moment was defined by need; by what we didn’t have and needed, or what we will need later.

Then Jesus came and revealed the Father. He took all of our needs upon himself and died. He took a need-based existence to the grave where it always belonged. And upon his resurrection he introduced us to a greater revelation, intimacy with our heavenly Father, access to the infinite reality of His Kingdom of love – heaven.

Heaven operates from a different core value. Love. Everything in the Kingdom of heaven, operates, hinges and moves in love. Love and need are two very different realities and Love trumps need - every time.

Its like this, we are living in two realities, but one is greater than the other. The first reality is the one we are often the most aware of. The one in which we can use words like starving, or desperate, or need. But there is a greater reality in which those words are forever settled.

Not only does need not exist within the nature of God, it doesn’t exist in heaven. You won’t need to eat there, and if you do, you won’t need money to buy food, and if you do, you can just use the gold that comes from the paving stones out in the street.

You won’t need to be healed in heaven; there is no sickness there. You won’t need to feel loved there, you will know and be love. You wont have any questions about why you exist there, the manifest Glory of God will make it very clear.

What’s awesome is that need has absolutely nothing to do with God. He is Love and Love is good – always. And not good like a nice sweater on a cold day, but good like grace and mercy and peace and joy, eternally good. A good that will always win against bad – has in fact already won. He is love and His very nature settles any and every issue of need – absolutely, to infinity and beyond.