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..."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
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...
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...
Friday, January 28, 2011
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...
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...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
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...
“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...
Monday, January 24, 2011
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...
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...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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
If you want to hear a message I recently gave that delves deeper into this revelation click HERE
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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.
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.
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