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"?

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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...