Wal-mart Testimony

Today Vanessa and I headed to Wal-Mart to run some errands.  We have some great memories that were made in that store.  When we first started doing street ministry, I did a lot of it in Wal-Mart as to avoid North Carolina's early summer heat.  We've seen many miracles and healings there. I like to call Wal-Mart "the Kingdom of heaven".  Not to stereotype or anything, but "blessed are those who are poor..." (Luke 6:20)

Anyways, we stayed yielding to God while running our errands.  We prayed to be used.  This wasn't about ministry.  This wasn't a complicated "mission".  Instead, our entire lives ought to be a mission dedicated to God!  God simply requires our attention and our time, and then He can use us.  So many are too busy to have their overcrowded schedules "moved with compassion"!  (Matthew 9:36)  So many Christians believe that their time belongs to them.  Let's dedicate our time to God.  This is part of offering ourselves as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1)

Back to what happened today, we got to Wal-Mart and God was so faithful.  If you are doing God's will, you will become familiar with having God's blessings overtake you along the way (Deuteronomy 28:2).  The entire time, God quickened to us different people, images, and things to buy.  He is a God of the details, too!  We were guided so personally and intimately.

Early on in our errands we ran into an older man who we thought might need prayer.  He was wearing a bright orange sweater and a cross.  He didn't want prayer for anything initially, but he was sure that he'd seen us before.  But we didn't recollect it!  As an aside, this happens to Vanessa and I sometimes when we are ministering.  People will say that they've met us before, when it is often impossible that they'd done so.  We believe it is deja-vu and indicates that God has pre-ordained certain moments.  Remember, God has set us in high places with Christ Jesus(Ephesians 2:6).  This man was more open to prayer after this strange event.  We prayed for him after heading on.

After that we were led to a woman named Melissa as she was standing in the pharmacy line.  She had a chronic degenerative disease and was in constant pain.  We said a short prayer for her...I was prompted to thank the Lord, over and over again, for His love.  After prayer we asked Melissa how she felt.  She told us she was receiving God's healing power, indicated through warmth and tingling.  Glory to God!  As she realized she had been healed, you could tell she was fighting back tears.  So were we.  She was in a hurry and Vanessa and I didn't gather much info on her life, but we left knowing that God had completely healed her.

It's such a gift to be used in street ministry.  This kind of stuff is my passion, and Vanessa has been such a blessing in being the more talkative half of our ministry partnership.  God knew what He was doing in bringing us together!  Praise Jesus for including us in His plans.  He's so gracious to send his workers something to harvest.  Praise God!

Overcoming Doubt: The Octopus

Over the past three weeks or so, I've got several visions of octopuses.  To me they represent the damaged ways of this world, widespread evil, and schemes of the enemy.  Not good.  (Keep in mind that symbolic visions may mean different things to different people.  God gives each person a vision, and an accompanying meaning, that they can understand.)

In this case, I felt that octopus represents widespread, pervasive doubt.  This unbelief is dangerous.  If the enemy has His way, doubt will be sent into our lives and constrict the Spirit's work in our lives.  Let's not doubt!  We have been truly set free by the Lord of freedom!

The sword of the Spirit is needed to cut off these areas of doubt.  The tentacles of Satan's schemes need to be eliminated by belief in God's Word.  We need to believe that He has overcome the world.  Doubt wants to uproot the Spirit's words implanted in our heart.  This implanted Word has the power to save  our souls (James 1:21), and the enemy wants to steal it away.

Praise God that He gives us warnings about such things.  The Spirit of truth will give us direction that keeps us safe and "not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11).  We can be wise about that which is good, and ready to war against things that would take us from God.

Honeymoon: Bar Harbor

Hello journal! It's been another great week at the farm in Maine. We are continuing to see little snowfalls every few days. This, just one month after our "perfect weather honeymoon". My family surprised Thomas and I with a four day getaway to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine! 

We arrived to Bar Harbor late Sunday afternoon, the day after our Saturday Wedding. We decided to walk around the downtown area and just explore a little for our first night there. We eyed some good restaurant menus and took note! We also got matching "Bar Harbor" sweatshirts!

We ate dinner at our hotel that night, as we had packed wedding feast leftovers, and saw it to be a nice way to settle into our warm and cozy hotel.

Monday morning, we hit the trail to find the adventure we were looking for. 

We walked from our hotel to the bike shop, only a mile and a half away, to rent bikes for our first day. We left the bike shop, biking up a steep road to get to the Carriage Trails, intended to be used by hikers and bikers only (with the exception OF COURSE of Govt. Vehicles, which we saw! They actually appeared to be following us...) 

We traveled around Eagle Lake, which was a strenuous incline the first half around, but the end you're heading toward is the side of a mountain, so once you reach that end, the whole ride back is a gorgeous and enjoyable, easy ride! We stopped about three quarters of the way around and got this photo. In fact, remember the older couple who snapped this shot! They will come into play later in the post.

After we came back from our biking adventure, we went to the hotel dining room, brought two cups of Apple Spice tea back to our room, and relaxed for a bit before heading out for dinner at a pub we found called Po' Boys. We flipped through the info packet our hotel gave us, and found they had a great special on Maine Lobster- we loved it! We snapped this shot in the hotel atrium before heading out!

Tuesday morning, we had coffee in the dining room while writing postcards to our parents, before heading out for another day of adventure!

 We chose biking again because we just hadn't gotten enough from the day before; granted, we had only done a half day. This time, we took the same Carriage Road a quarter of the way around Eagle Lake, and bore right at the fork below, to go past Eagle Lake and onto Jordan Pond. 

 Here we found the Jordan Pond House, popular for their tea and popovers, in addition to a regular lunch menu. I was specifically interested in the fireplace inside the giftshop. 

 Heading back from the Jordan Pond house, we stopped along Eagle Lake and admired the beauty.

This shot below is cool to me because my family and I came to Acadia National Park when I was young, and took the same shot on this stone bridge that leads you to the Carriage Trails from the road. 

This guy... the Lord has changed my life through him.  "My mourning has turned into dancing, and my sorrow into joy." 

The next day, Wednesday, we chose to give my Aunt Chris' advice a whirl. She's a seasoned visitor to Bar Harbor, and made a few recommendations for us. Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are on Mount Desert (pronounced "dessert") Island. We drove to the eastern most part of Mount Desert Island (closest to the Atlantic,) and walked Sand Beach to hike the Great Head Peninsula, a moderately difficult trail.  

 Here's a view of Sand Beach from a quarter of the way around the Great Head. 

Well here I am, enjoying freedom.

My lover made me a spear in case I met a rabid squirrel.

 Once we had gotten around to the beginning again, we took in this pretty view of Sand Beach.

 Next it was time to climb the Beehive! Here we are at the foot of the trail.

My Aunt Chris gave us a little warning that it was pretty much straight up the side of a mountain, and that we would be holding onto iron rings, but we definitely underestimated the Beehive. This thing could have been dangerous had it not been for the thousands of ladybugs encouraging us to keep faith as we climbed. Here we are at the top- we made it!

This shot was on our way down- see how steep? What a thrill!

After we completed the Beehive, we drove Park Loop Road (the designated scenic route around Acadia National Park.) Here we are in front of Otter Cove, a saltwater inlet with a land bridge crossing the middle, which we were standing on. 

Cadillac Mountain is not only the highest mountain on Mount Desert Island, it is also the only one in the area that you can take your car to the top of. Here is Thomas, halfway up the mountain, with Eagle Lake in the background.

 Here we are at the summit of Cadillac, with Bar Harbor in the distance.

That evening, we specifically felt led to try a dinner place called Cafe This Way. When we walked in, our attention was immediately grabbed by a woman in the dining room waving at us. She was with her husband and her friend. Thomas and I went over to their table, and she told us that she and her husband took our picture on the trail by Eagle Lake on Monday!

After we ordered, I felt led to go back over to their table to ask if anyone was in any pain and needed healing from the Lord. They responded first by saying that they had been in a church a long time and she used to direct the children's program, and secondly the woman said she didn't have any health concerns, but then asked her husband, "Honey, what about your shoulder?" He seemed like he felt uncomfortable with the idea of being prayed for, and said, "oh that's ok." Sometimes we see older Christians decline prayer because they don't want to be seen being prayed for by a young person. We don't ask people if we can pray for them because we think they're lost or "need to get saved." We just want people to experience the Lord's power.  

The woman's friend said, "My sister is having surgery, can we pray for her?" We did pray for her and I trust that the Lord has been faithful. I was bummed that the man didn't want us to ask Yahweh to take away his pain, because I believe He was ready to do it, but I was glad that we did pray for someone. 

At the end of our meal, after our trail friends had left, our waiter came over to our table and told us that an anonymous couple had taken care of our check. What a sweet blessing from them and the Lord! 

 The next day, Thursday, our final morning at the hotel, we were excited because instead of raining all morning like it was supposed to, it was sunny behind a light layer of beautiful haze above the harbor, and we were able to have breakfast out on the dining room deck! Truth be told, it was supposed to rain Wednesday and Thursday, but the Lord showed us much favor and allowed it to be pushed off. We were so thankful!

Here we are on the deck, enjoying each other and a hot drink. 

 We visited a couple museums on the way out of Bar Harbor, and the moment we were in the middle of the bridge that crossed from Mount Desert Island to the mainland, the first raindrop hit our windshield! Thank you Lord for wonderful weather up to the last minute!

I would like to say thank you to my Aunt Chris & Uncle Taylor, my Mom and Dad, my Aunt Nancy and Uncle John, and Thomas' parents for surprising us with a wonderful honeymoon we didn't even expect to take, nor place much importance in.  We know now why we were gifted this trip- it was amazing!!! We have memories to last forever, and a new favorite place to return for anniversaries!

Love, 

Vanessa

Thankfulness

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18

What does it mean to rejoice always?  It means to stay uplifted in God's truth.  Rejoice, you've been forgiven!  You've been redeemed, the goodness of God in sacrificing His son Jesus has saved you!

What does it mean to pray continually?  It means to keep prayer and communion with God at the forefront of the mind at all times.  It means staying aware of God going before you, God backing you, and God emanating Himself through you, and verbalizing this awareness (even if verbally) to Him constantly.

What does it mean to give thanks in all?  It means to keep gratitude for God at such a high level that any momentary troubles are not worth comparing to future glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).  It means looking forward to our return home and allowing that faith to overshadow present-time testing.  Let's realize and even appreciate that our treasures are stored up in earthen jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7), so that God's power in us might become even more awe-inspiring (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God never fails.  Let's praise Him for His character.  Let's praise Him that He is ready to forgive.  He is mighty to save.

Victory through Repentance

This morning, I surrendered some things to God.  Honestly I was long overdue in doing this.  So, I surrendered to God and repented for the things I had been clinging to.   "Pet sins" are very dangerous.  Fleeing from sin is the best response to it.  We need God's help to do this.

"Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD's house."  Isaiah 52:11

God spoke to my heart that I was forgiven and restored to Him.  I had come out of my sin, and then He made me pure.  It is His grace that does this.

I was instructed to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance"  (Matthew 3:8).  Repentance to me means turning away from one thing and changing mindsets.  It means looking down on sins that separate from God, and looking forward to His new opportunities.

God gives us grace so that we can return to Him.  As long as we want to and repent of our past sin, we can return.  After returning, obedience is especially important.  It is a yielding to His Spirit that allows us to bear fruit "in keeping with", or worthy of, repentance.  If we are not bearing good fruit, we probably aren't fully repentant.

Once forgiven, I felt an influx of God's love.  It feels so good to be accepted and redeemed!  It feels to good to partake of the heavenly gift.   It feels so good to be judged righteous.

The Lord God gave me a vision of a person standing victorious.  This person had a large diamond planted behind them, but only the top quarter was showing.  So the only part of the diamond exposed to the outer world was a small triangle. They were victorious through their belonging to God, which demonstrated itself in true change.  Victory was found in bearing fruit!

Diamond Representation:  Represents our portion in Christ, our spiritual origin.  God polishes us as diamonds in the rough, glorifying and reflecting Himself through His good works in us.  There are so may unseen treasures stored up for a child of God.  "All creation" has been groaning "for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19-22).  The Holy Spirit wants to reveal Jesus in all of us.

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn".  Isaiah 51:1

Small Triangle Representation:  This was the top of the diamond, the "tip of the iceberg".  Seen things are only a small portion of the glory of God's Spirit living in us all!  And there's a price to pay for more of God to unveil itself through in us.  So, this small triangle is the fruit of the Spirit, that "fruit worthy of repentance", that other people see.  Remember that a triangle represents change.  Change follows repentance, if we belong to God.

Put together the pieces of this vision, and you'll see a clear message unveiled.  True Victory comes from true change, which comes from true repentance, which is made possible by our inheritance and belonging to God.  Glory to God!

God's Perspective

"Remember His marvelous works that He has done."  Psalm 105:5

Sometimes it helps to look back at God's grace in the past, so that we can have hope for the future.  He's taken us out of the wilderness and revived us!  We need to see the forest for the trees.  We need to realize that God has had His strong hand upon us until this point.  And He is just the same today.  He is still willing to redeem.

Let's learn to treasure God's love, just as it was shown in our past.  Let's remember the works He has done for us on behalf of His name.  Let's believe that His feelings towards us now can be just as great, and let's believe we can return to His presence.

God has taken me through so much.  He has loved me from the start, and He wants me to be "set in high places" as one of His children.  It is the same with all who call on Him.  His light has shown on us.  We must stay close to Him so that we can have oiled lamps, having been trained in godliness.  His light needs to encompass our every step, and it needs to be clear in our past with God, too.

When in doubt, remember the things that God has spoken.  Doubt and fear can choke out His Words if left unchecked.  The implanted Word can be overgrown by weeds, then thorns.  There is a way out.  Meditate and consider God's character in the past.  He still feels the same about us.  He is not a "son of man, that He should change His mind".  He is faithful.  Glory to God!

God's Wisdom

Wisdom has been a strong theme recently.  We need wisdom to know how to align with God.  What would He have us do?  What would He have us say?  What would He have us think?  Wisdom is personified by the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom is godly, truthful knowledge.

James 3:13:  "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show his works out of good conduct and with the meekness of wisdom."

So once we have wisdom, we can show it by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit.  We can do good, and also be humble enough that we can be generous with our right hand, while not letting the left hand know what we're doing (Matthew 6:3).

I've also been reading Proverbs.  This morning, I received a vision of a highway, long and narrow.  I knew it symbolized the focused path the Lord God wants we on.  A few moments after this, I read Proverbs 15:19.

"The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway."

The Lord confounds the wicked, but those who have wisdom are set above.  Narrow is the path we need to stay on to keep following wisdom.  If we walk humbly with God and His wisdom, He will guide us along this Highway.  He will guide us with such accuracy; He will even number our steps for us!  This can all happen because God has pre-ordained things before time began.  When we get away from God, He often frustrates our efforts and takes our rest.  Return to Him!

"Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known."  Proverbs 14:33

Wisdom is kept in the hearts of those who follow God.  That's because the Holy Spirit, our seal, gives us this wisdom.  If we yield to the Spirit, we are those called "discerning", and wisdom will not be taken from us.  We need to keep the Spirit, and it's wisdom, at all costs.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  Proverbs 9:10

Fear of the Lord, reverence and awe of Him, is where wisdom starts.  There is so much knowledge out there, and not all of it magnifies God.  We need to fear God, and stay under Him, to stay safe from lies and false ideas.  If we fear Him in the right way, He can then reveal to us hidden knowledge.  Knowledge is only useful from His perspective.  His knowledge is called wisdom!  And we cannot expect to have true wisdom without first relying on our Creator.  We need to hold onto His love as we are taught more and more.  God's perspective is the only one that counts.

Synchronicity: How to Read The Word

God gave us His Word for many reasons. The Word is our hope and our encouragement, our "ever-present hope in times of trouble." We cannot forget or underestimate the Word. It is alive and active, and by the Holy Spirit it is made real to us.

The Bible gives us commands to keep us pure in the eyes of God, and it also gives us moment by moment direction. There are a few names for the Word's present-time guidance. I like to call this kind of direction "rhema" or "navigational commands". These things come from the Word as we read it led by the Holy Spirit.

So, how to get specific commands from the bible? There are certainly times when it's good to read long passages of scripture at once, but the Lord has given us faster ways to discern His answers to specific questions. When we are led by the Spirit and operating out of a place of faith, random bible reading is often miraculously on topic. Try randomly opening a bible up and you'll see what I mean. As long as we precede this by trust and reliance on God, He gives specific direction through the Word, in ways that are sometimes totally unrelated to the context of that scripture section.

For example, last night I had a warning-type dream. It related to discipline that was painful. I felt it was from God, and this dream really helped me understand His might in disciplining those He loves. His discipline, and His commands to stay blameless, are designed for our protection, "lest some worse thing happen". After asking for His help, I open up the Word to Proverbs 19:18:

"Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction."

So this verse synchronously confirmed the topic and message of last night's dream. God is always faithful to His Word. The Bible is unlike any other book, and because of that, it is reliable to direct us when opened at random. So, often, I open my Bible at random and the first thing my eyes see totally relates to the day's events. Sometimes the first passage I read relates to things that happened just minutes ago. These synchronistic happenings are not just coincidences! No, those who are near God need to acknowledge His power (Isaiah 33:13).

 In the last month or so, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me how to get specific instruction from God on behalf of others. I don't mean prophecy here, but more so selecting timely bible verses, that often have a prophetic meaning. It all starts by hearing God's voice. The further you go along with God, the less and less you can do things, even spiritual things, according to your own will.

This new method is very efficient, but like I said, it must be strongly guided by God. So, most mornings I seek God on behalf of my wife. I acknowledge His ability, and His power, and then open my Bible at random. I may have my eyes closed, and point to a spot on the page, before opening my eyes and reading the selected verse. Or, I might just "know" that I'm meant to keep my eyes open, and immediately look on near the top left corner of the page. Direction such as this is a benefit of "keeping in step" with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

 Once again, distinct guidance is critical here! The Lord directs me when I do these random, finger-pointing readings...it is He that gives me protection and wisdom. Often He speaks with that "still, small voice" and tells me where to point my finger, which side of the page to gaze at, or where in the Word I should first open. When I do read as directed, God always gives me a passage whose message couldn't be a bit better. This is my one of my favorite ways to get specific direction from God.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Psalm 119:105

The Word is a light for the feet, not a spotlight into the distant future. So many people miss this! The Word guides us step by step. If we could do more than just "see in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9), we would not need to fully rely on God, nor have faith in the unseen! The synchronistic things God directs to us often fall around our feet, as He turns our "darkness into light" and guides us moment by moment. God's Spirit aligns us with converging events, through the Word, that guide our path. Glory to God! He really is so creative. Synchronicity through the word keep us "in step" better than almost anything. Reading the Bible at random is such a faith builder. Like I said, though, we must begin reading in faith that "the Lord is God, shining upon us". Or else, we are in serious danger of our faith being hurt even more:

"...Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." Matthew 13:12

So, let's read the word with faith to receive, and faith to believe the rhema word that God wants to speak. Let's desire clear and specific instruction, so that we can walk on His path for us, and not resort to lighting our own fires. Let's acknowledge God's power to move through synchronistic events, and give Him the Glory for it!

"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36

Our calling: Compassion

The past few days I've been reminded by the Lord about my purpose in life. The Holy Spirit brought 3 verses to remembrance:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

"Jesus replied: “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" Matthew 22:37

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"Matthew 22:39

And I realized how simple everything really should be. I realized again that no worldly achievements can impress God. This world in its present form is "passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:31). That makes our purpose much more simple, if we meditate and then act on this perspective.

How did Jesus act? He saw the people and He was moved with compassion. Not just human compassion, but the compassion of God. He responded with powerful demonstrations of His Father's love. He walked humbly with the Father, even though He was God Himself. He came "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". Let's commit to focusing on God, and focusing on His heart. Let's love what He loves and hate what He hates.

Confirmed: When talking about different callings in the car today, my eyes were directed to a license plate that said, "CMPSSHN". The timing as perfect. I didn't say it...my calling is to show people God's compassion!

Vision: Heavenly Doors

Last week I started receiving visions of gates opening. These gates and doors were intricately carved and had been tightly shut. I sensed they were spiritual doors that directed physical events. God gives us open doors when we prove faithful.

"because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me." 1 Corinthians 16:9

We need to stay focused on the Lord Jesus to pass through doors, and we must prize spiritual doors above worldly ones. Once we can "count everything else as loss" (Philippians 3:8), the Lord will give us spiritual gifts. We need to eagerly desire these things, and seek them. Above all, seek God's face. God rewards a hunger for Him.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6

Satisfaction is guaranteed if we humbly ask from God. And spiritual satisfaction means going from "strength to strength" and from "glory to glory". It means passing through trials within a hedge of protection. It means that God goes before us and opens the doors. Glory to God! Seeking Him keeps us from impatience--we cannot press ahead of His steps. He needs to be our light and our inspiration.

"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment." Isaiah 50:11

Humility and reverence will never lead us into prying open our own doors. Sometimes we need to ask and then receive, not ask and then receive. Sometimes the Spirit will lead us to step aside and see the hand of God move on our behalf. Let's pray for God's guidance to direct us to the right doors. If it's His Will, He will guide the path. We need to be discerning and warfare God's way. God does not fail, and we can ask to pass through opened doors in faith in God's goodness.