LOVE wants You

Love wants you...real bad. Do you understand that when the Word of Life says that God puts the Spirit of Adoption in us it gives us a new Father? That is true....but truth doesn't always transform until be believe and experience it. Father God is in a good mood....He is not waiting for you to screw up again so he can take you out. He is not the Great Hit-man wanting to finally judge you because you mess up all the time....He really does Love you and wants you Home.

Home is were the Heart is and you can trust the Father with your heart. The key to understanding the Fathers heart is letting the past filters of our experience dictate who we think Father God is.

He is Dad....Big Papa

Galatians 4:6-7 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Do you understand that you are not a slave? Adoption means you come into the rights and inheritance of a Father/son relationship. The main inheritance you need is the Fathers love for you. Do you remember the story of the prodigal son?

Here is my summary....He wanted his inheritance now! So, in essence he is saying to His father "I wish you were dead because all I want is your cash". The Father loved his son so much he gave him his portion of the money and off he went. He went to high roller clubs and was rollin on 24's in his black Mercedes He smoked the best weed... rolled fat blunts and the woman were all around. He finally smoked all his cash away and had to work as a dishwasher in a cheap Chinese food place. He had to eat the leftovers off the plates he was washing in order to not go hungry.

He decided to go back to Dad because His Dad's employees were living much better than this. His Dad sees him coming up the drive... once the pickup that he hitched a ride with dropped him off. His Dad/Papa comes running down the drive barefoot with his new designer suit getting tattered as he runs up the drive in full abandonment. He comes to his son who is scared and full of shame and throws his arms around him and starts crying. "I love you so much and missed you so much...I love you son". The son feels so unworthy that he had treated his Dad with so little worth. He starts to apologize but Papa says "I know son...don't worry... your my son and I accept you with open arms...welcome home to my Heart". He takes off his new suit coat and puts it on the son...he takes off his Rolex and puts it on the son.

You thought the son spent all the inheritance? No.....Papa has so much he brings the son back into the place that creates abundance and restoration. The home of the heart that is Love and Life itself. Papa's love is unstoppable and when he sees His sons and daughters even looking his way he starts running towards them with Love in his eyes. His feet run swift & sure. His gaze is like a gale force wind of affection & affirmation. He knows who He made you to be. You will find yourself when you find yourself in the Fathers arms and realize that home is were the Heart is....and his Heart is a home for the homeless and the oven of true Love.

Come and run to Big Papa.....He loves you so much and He is waiting at the end of the drive just waiting for the chance to start running to Love on you.....Come Home.

Gods Generals

(This Blog Post in a response to one essay question for school for the book Gods Generals by Robert Liardon.)

I actually feel like I gained several insights while reading God’s Generals (Why They Succeeded and Why some Failed) by Roberts Liardon. I must say that this is a book that I will read again and it was very hard to put it down. I absolutely love reading about great men and woman of God in history. It always makes me want to pursue God and the calling on my life and to press in to see the “more” that God has for me.

Growing up my father used to say “God hits some pretty good licks, with crooked sticks”. What this means is that God can use people who are not perfect, but are just yielded to Him. Remember, the apostle Peter denied Jesus in his greatest time of need. Jesus repaid that betrayal by establishing Peter as the foundation of the New Testament church. It is always His grace and mercy that moves us to do things that are beyond our own natural ability. I think those He uses in extraordinary ways are typically marked with a desperation and hunger for God to move. They also seem to have an innate passion and love for God developed in their life. There are other times when life or the enemy has placed them in circumstances that make them look to God for supernatural breakthrough. Sometimes, God can just choose people in His sovereignty because He chooses to do so. Yes, we have freewill, but just go and ask the apostle Paul about His experience with a supernatural God that blinded him of the road to Damascus. God is not a tame lion (as C.S. Lewis said) He is still a sovereign God.

The first lesson I learned from this book is that almost all of these mighty men and woman really knew the promise of God in scripture. They believed the word of God that He still desires to heal and work  supernaturally. They took a hold of a promise from God and held on to it until they saw it released into the natural. I have good news for you. The God of the New Testament is still a supernatural God. Salvation is a spiritual supernatural event and transaction. It is the same with miracles and signs & wonders.   Most of us believe God is a supernatural God, but not all of us are “comfortable” with how supernatural He still is. When my wife and I went to India in 2007 and prayed for a girl who was deaf and mute... God healed her. She heard and spoke in front of a crowd of about a fifty people. We heard the gasp that went through the crowd around us as she spoke and we knew that God is still doing His stuff today on earth. In 1 Peter verse 4 it states that “he (God) has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature”. God’s nature is to restore and heal. Before Jesus was a minister he was a carpenter. His job was to make something new out of something that was yet unformed or seen. He would also repair things that were broken. When Jesus went into public ministry He did the same things. We are called to live as Jesus did as his representatives here on earth.  

The second lesson I learned from this book is something the author pointed out several times. We need to identify and operate in the gifting that God has placed upon us and discern the season that God has us in. Many of these woman and men of God had amazing gifting and supernatural ability on their life but when they tried to venture out of that arena it did not go well for them. Some of these folk’s lives ended in dishonor because they strayed so far from the original calling and mission. Alexander Dowie tried to build a Christian city called Zion which ended in financial scandal. Many believe his true calling and anointing was for the city of Chicago. William Brahman was used mightily of God, but his life ended in disgrace teaching things that were contrary to the truth of the Word of God. Brahman had a prophetic calling but he was not a teacher. When he insisted on being a teacher, even though others warned him, his teaching ended in serious doctrinal heresy. I personally believe that God can gift us with different things as our live changes. It is vital that we understand what God is saying to us and discern what season we are in. If you are called to be a worshiper it may not work out too well if you are convinced you are a teacher. Grace is released through us as we walk in our anointed calling.  

The last lesson I learned in this book ties in closely with the second lesson. A lot of times God will put strategic relationships in our lives to help us navigate the road God has us on. Sometimes Gods wisdom for us can look like a friend or ministry partner in our life. Others see things in us and know things that we need to keep us balanced and on the right path. In the book of Proverbs wisdom is marked by being teachable, correctable, and having many advisors. We need to be willing to hear God speak to us through others. I have friends in my life right now that have walked with God for many years and know the Bible much better than I do. We are made for relationship and not be an island. We need others to help guide us into truth and hold up a mirror to our lives and help us see our faults. This will keep us on the right track and help us be spiritually healthy. We need the each other to walk in wholeness. When someone is gifted by a supernatural gifting (and the supernatural is not too common in this day and age) we tend to get enamored by their gifting. The scripture is clear that we are to judge a tree by its fruit. Just because someone has a supernatural calling and gifting on their life doesn’t mean that God endorses everything they say and do. Remember, the supernatural is released by God’s grace and not our own works. Yes, we can position and equip ourselves to see supernatural breakthrough with more consistency, but it is still by Gods grace alone.  I love His Grace…. His healing, delivering, restoring, and supernatural grace.

This is a great book and I cannot recommend it more highly. It does not shy away from the amazing events and miracles or the ugly truth and controversy in some of these men and woman’s life. If I keep it real, my own walk with God has not been so pretty. I had a remarkable salvation experience and was used by God in ministry. I then turned my back and got myself wrapped up in substance abuse and addiction. In His grace he has restored me and still has the same calling on my life. My own life story would not be a clean and pretty book, but I think it would show just how much mercy and grace my Jesus has had on me. He does not show favoritism, and he can show you the same kind of mercy and grace that he had on all these mighty woman and men of God. We should all be inspired to be used of God to see His supernatural reality invade our natural reality. It brings Him honor and glory. I love what Randy Clark says: “Lord, let my life be a coin in your pocket to spend as You will”. These mighty men and woman of God let Him spend their lives and I desire to walk in the same things. Amen. 

Live in the Moment

      Do you know for so many years of my life I lived for another day? I remember years of my life spent wishing my location, circumstances, or relationships were different. Either looking back to what was...or looking forward to what I wish it would be. 

• When I was in my young teens and my Father was stationed in Germany ... I wished I was back in the USA.
• When we moved back from Germany and I was sent to a private Christian High School - I wished I was back in Germany with my friends
• When I was in College - I wish I had more "alternative/artsy" Christian friends
• When I moved to "alternative/artsy" Portland, Oregon - I wished I was back in Texas with my strong Christian friends

It seemed I was always looking back to what I once had (even though I complained when I was there) or I was looking forward to what I wished life would become. I spent so many years not stewarding the moment and relationships that God had me living in. When I lived in Portland I did not value the friendships that I had in my life because of religious (rule based) mindsets and strongholds in my thinking. Religion sets unrealistic expectations on ourselves and those around us and it has a tendency to ruin relationships. 

 God has people in your life right now. Maybe these relationships are not the easiest and maybe they do not flow naturally...but God can use the most interesting situation and people to mold our lives and hearts. Perspective may come years later when you look back and see God's hand forming you through those relationships that did not seem fun or easy. 

Or maybe you live with extreme mindsets like I once did...

• Instead of "I am going to become a better musician" - It became "I am going to buy all the instruments a whole band would have and buy recording equipment and record my own music and become famous."
• Instead of "I am really going to start trying to spend some time with the Lord every day." - It became .. "I am going to fast to seven days and then commit to spend an hour a day getting up at 5:30am to seek the Face of God."
• Or maybe when you Sin you have a tendency to go big - I remember when I fell into sin and took a drink - It turned into 2 drinks and then 3 drinks then smoking a joint...and then nine months later I would wake up from a nine month hazy dream...I am not kidding

This mindset is the unhealthy version of living in the moment. We get deceived that radical actions will propel us to a new place in life or offer some relief or escape. That is not the case. God has a balanced and healthy life for us but we have to hear His voice and follow His leading. These extreme mindsets can bring us to a place of chaos if we don't discern the hearts motive when giving into them. That is not living in the moment... that is living in the flesh...and it is a mindset of death. 

God has you in certain situations right now that you cant stand. He has relationships in your life that are less than ideal. Maybe instead of wishing we were in another time in our lives or looking to a place in the future that is not here yet...we should live in the moment. With a mind set on the Spirits leading. 

You want to get healthy....eat a salad today for lunch...go walking tonight. 

You want to get married...concentrate on building healthy relationships with both sexes...get involved in a singles group..this week. 

You want to know God more...spend some time in the Word today...take some time and ask to hear His voice...today.

You want to get your finances in order....Go buy Dave Ramsey's Extreme Money Makeover ...read it tonight.

Do you get the point? If you steward today well and then focus on stewarding tomorrow you will start to live the full life that God has in store for you. I learned this when walking out of addiction to take one day at time. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Make the change you want today... one baby step at a time. Hang with the friends you have today. Call someone and ask if you can pray with them today. What happens when we steward well? We form habits that lead to living a full life regardless of circumstances that don't change. We start becoming the people we always wanted to be. 

I have tried to start to steward each day ... and I have seen the Lord bless me with those days I always longed for. They do not look exactly like I thought they would.. but they are full of the fruit of the Spirit and His Goodness. 

Of Foundations and Faith

Faith is the currency of heaven and the value of it cannot be underrated. I was praying this morning and asking the Lord what faith was. He went on to talk to me about various levels of faith. One of the first things He showed me was in the parable of the House built on the different foundations. (see Matthew 7:24-28)

One thing He pointed out to me in this story is that the building material was faith and it was the same in both contexts. One house was built on Rock (good foundation) and one was built on sand (unstable foundation). The parables emphasis was really on the Foundation of what the house was built on. I believe the house speaks of where our Heart abides. Building the house on the Rock symbolizes faith in Christ and an active lifestyle of relationship with Him. The foundation on the sand represents the plethora of things we can put our faith in here on earth. (Relationships, Hobbies, Title, Position, Power, Looks, etc…) The building is built with faith.... it is faith in something that brings the action of building. Trusting, hoping, relying, and believing that these things will bring fulfillment, purpose, meaning, and substance to our existence leads us towards the action of Faith. This can have negative and positive application. Jesus stated that real fulfillment can only be satisfied in the context of faith in His completed work on our behalf, and the subsequent invitation to enjoy LIFE with Him.  (present & eternal Life)

Yet so many are deceived…let me explain. Faith is more than just a confession….it is a lifestyle of pursuit of the ONE. What you have faith in will be displayed by your actions... not by just your words. This is why the book of James talks about showing your faith by your works (or actions). Yet, I continue to meet so many believers who have a confession of faith in Christ and yet their lifestyle indicates that it is a mere belief system. The foundation of a structure should help dictate what the building or structure looks like... just like the fruit of our actions reveal the trust issues of our heart. (I say “issues” because we “issue” trust to what we believe it) God is interested in our mind, but He longs to sit upon the throne of your heart. Once he has your Heart (and yes…I mean your Passionate Love Heart) he has your mind, body, and soul at His disposal. So many of us spend time dealing with the fruit of lives that we forget that the root actually dwells in the heart.

For instance…. We want to be “better people”, go to church more, stop cussing so much, give more, be “better Christians” and so on and so forth. These things are all noble, but if we focus on these issues we are just trimming the tree. The DNA of a tree dictates what type of fruit it’s producing. Meeting the Creator who dictates and creates  DNA is where we find lasting change. This is the kind of change that creates stable foundations. When we surrender and push all our cards onto the table to follow Jesus he gives us His Spirit. 


When I speak of the God who dictates our DNA I think of the person of the Holy Spirit who is mentioned in the first Chapter of Genesis. He was present during creation. When the Spirit of God resides in you and he is there to produce in you the Life of Jesus….therefore transforming your hearts DNA and laying the solid foundation. As people of faith in Christ we have the privilege to host the presence of the Holy Spirit.  When the Spirit is present in our lives it will be followed by transformation. (Practical tip….pray for the Lord to continually fill your with the Holy Spirit)

Good belief systems are just that…good. Knowing a Good God is so much higher of a calling and leads to a transformed lifestyle. It’s faith in the right thing. Faith in Jesus, that is the currency of Heaven and becomes an ETERNAL investment that will never fade, spoil, or tarnish. True wealth because the foundation is true ROCK. Maybe it’s time for a foundation check…and subsequent heart check. I encourage you to recalibrate your heart to rest on the foundation of Christ’s perfect love & life for you…… ask the Holy Spirit to lay the perfect foundation in your heart. You know what? He will. 


I happen to know He builds a pretty good house....

Thoughts on Leadership…

During the last few years I have been in the training grounds of leadership. I have had several opportunities and positions that have helped me in the leadership molding process. I do not feel like I am fully molded, nor do I feel I have even the fundamentals down. This is interesting because for years people spoke into my life about leadership qualities that they said were natural. What I did not realize, during the early years of my life, is that possessing passion and charisma does not always translate to being a good leader. People will follow passion for awhile but if the character is not there to sustain the direction the fruit will not last. I like to always say that this life (and various roles) is not a 100 meter dash, but should be lived as a marathon.

I used to have a huge desire to be a leader, but the more I have been able to lead and understand the challenges and difficulty of being a leader, the more hesitant I am to quickly assume that role. Not that I don’t want to lead, but when the rose colored glasses come off … that idea of becoming a cage fighting mixed martial artist doesn’t seem so fun.  So with that said here are a few simple lessons I wish I could have known a few years ago.

People will talk and some will throw stones

Reality check. No matter how cool you are, how consistent you are in your behavior/character, how nice you are, and how much you do for others… people are going to talk about you and some will throw verbal stones. It’s the nature of the position. Hey…stand up there for awhile … now that you’re up there I can see all your flaws and you’re an easy target for all my frustrations. We live in a culture that loves to drink beer and watch professional athletes. When they drop the pass or miss the play our couch potato friends love to say “Oh come on!” or “Get the stinking ball!”….seriously when is the last time couch potato worked out? Yes, we love to be spectators and it is looks so easy from our perspective and comfortable seats. Why don’t you get out there and wait until Mr. Big Muscle guy is about to smash your face in…you’re perspective changes. It is always harder when you are in the game or when you are the leader. People tend not to understand the hours of administrative planning or having to navigate the different personalities and their subsequent strengths and weaknesses. So, they will talk about you. I remember this last year walking into a room and everyone stopped talking, put their heads down, and then just walked off in different directions. Awkward.

Lesson Learned

 In order to be a good leader, at a certain level, you have to stop worrying about what people think of you. I am not talking about arrogance and not listening to constructive criticism or feedback. I am talking about leading out of insecurities and trying to make sure people like you all the time. You must walk through the process of transformation that God brings us through from insecurity to being secure in who you are. For me that process took years and years. But I can honestly say that I am more secure in who I am and who God has made me to be. I am more concerned with His approval than I used to be. That allows me to listen for His approval and direction instead of the approval and direction of others. Once you start following the approval and direction of others you are chasing after the wind.

No matter how well you lead and how many good decisions you make people will talk about you and you can’t do too much about it. The thing I have learned from seeking God about this issue is to be consistent in my Character and in my actions. I am not always good at doing this, but I feel like I have a compass to guide me in the hard times. Here is a simple tool to use when the gossip, speculation, and backbiting is at its worst. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others how you would want to be treated. If you do this consistently and purpose in your heart not to respond in anger or attacking others… it will work out in the end. Even if it does not work out at least you will be able to stand before God and men with a clean heart.

Confrontation & and Speaking the Truth… is Part of the Job

Man, I remember back in the 90’s at a Highland Baptist Church training for Lifegroup leaders. There was a young man who talked on confrontation in the context of leadership and leading small groups. I remember thinking this was odd talk for small group training. Actually, it was a solid teaching on how to speak the truth in love and confront difficult situations. This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn and quite honestly I still need to grow a lot in this area. I have gone through seasons where and I am good about this and then seasons where I become passive. When you lead you will be confronted by difficult people and situations. If left unchecked those people and situations can ruin organizations and hurt others tremendously.

Lesson Learned

Sometimes a Pastor is called Shepherd (that is what the Greek word means) and sometimes Shepherds have to fight off the lions and bears. My father was a Pastor and I remember him telling me that he once told a guy to leave his churches singles group and not to come back. (In a church! Who would dare?) When I asked him why, he said the guy had been talked to multiple times, would not change, and was preying on young single moms in his group. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. After the guy left he ended up having an affair with a married woman from the congregation. My dad was being a good leader and protecting his sheep. That’s life and true leadership and is not what you always think of as a role of being a pastor. But, it was the right move.

I try to read the book of Proverbs through every month. (31 chapters = 31 days) One theme I see is that when you speak the truth it is better than flattery and is actually the mark of true relationship and friendship. I true friend is going to help hold a mirror up or a sign and say “Man, you are not looking so good…or STOP you are headed for the edge.” Those conversations are not fun, but they are necessary. You can actually develop a skill set to help navigate confrontation and hard conversations, but I don’t think it ever gets easy. If you love confronting people and is easy for you…then you most likely have a problem. I remember years ago a boss I had told me I was not good at accepting constructive criticism. My response was “Yes I do”… I was blind to the problem. He graciously gave me several examples of times that I had not responded well and how defensive I got. That was ten years ago, and I have grown since then, and now I understand that listening to valid criticism is one of the biggest tools for accelerated growth. That weakness has become strength.     More lessons to come…….  

Knowing Whose and Who

So some of you may know that we started a new ministry late last year called Equip. Our desire is to see people Equipped for the work of ministry. I believe every person who is a believer in Jesus is also called to the ministry. We are each called to be ambassadors and  representatives of His Goodness. The "Gospel" means "good news" and it is not just a select few who are called to spread this news...it is all who belong to Jesus. I don't subscribe to the philosophy of clergy and laypeople. Sure, some may be in full time ministry and others may function in an office in the church (teacher, pastor, evangelist, bishop,etc.) But when Jesus gave the great commission and said go into all the world and preach the good news of the Kingdom... he did not add a clause that said (only if you have a theology degree and serve in full time ministry!) We are His hands, feet, and voice.... he chooses is US!

So....with all that said, I do believe that we need to be equipped for the work of ministry, and that not only involves correct thinking but should also translate into the practical experience of a demonstration of Gods power. Jesus method of teaching the Kingdom of God was show and tell. God Loves you...and let me show it by healing the sick and casting out evil. It is very effective...this show and tell method. We live in a society that promotes knowledge above actual experience and thinks knowledge transfer without practical application is enough. (I know this is not always the case) Leading a Muslim to the knowledge of Jesus is much more effective after his daughter just got healed by Jesus. But...that is not what this post in about. I believe the first step in this process of becoming an equipped minister of the Gospel is - Knowing Who He is Knowing Whose We Are-  We watched a teaching about this last week and afterwards the Holy Spirit showed up in such a way to demonstrate how much he loves us and demonstrate how God views us. It was pretty awesome.

For this Blog post I want to talk about Knowing Who He is.This statement talks about having a proper view of who God is. Growing up as a Pastors kid I remember feeling like I should be better and had this overall feeling that God was displeased with me most of the time. I could never measure up. I knew I sinned and quite frankly sinning seemed better to me than hanging out with some folks who followed God. It seemed there was this unending list of things that I should be doing, but did not do, and whenever I had an inkling of doing something good it seemed futile because my bad list was far longer than my good list. Frustrating. I thought the Gospel was "Repent, God is coming back for His church and you will be left behind to face Hell!" It was very effective as scaring the living daylights out of me, but not so effective at transforming me to follow Jesus. I finally gave up and put two middle fingers in the air and just walked away. This God business was lame and Christians did not seem so cool...they were kind of not really happy people and seemed condemned. (I later met real joy filled believers) I went to a Christian School and we were encouraged to get rid of "bad" music because it had demonic messages in it. Maybe it did...but at the time I really loved that music and dealing with the external fruit of someones life is not the most effective way to present the Gospel. Deal with the Heart in the Way of Love.

1 John 4:8 - Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

My view of God was very much an Old Covenant (Testament) view of God. Do things right and you will be blessed. Mess up and suffer the wrath and Judgement of God. Ironically, Jesus came to SAVE us from the wrath of God. Jesus tells a story of Father God that talks of a son who blew all his inheritance and went and partied like a rock star. Ended up in the projects eating out of In&Out dumpsters. Then he realizes his Dad's employees got it better than this. Maybe his dad will take him back as a low end employee? He comes back and Dad is stoked and gives the kid a new Armani suit and throws a huge block party to welcome back His son. He was lost, now he was found! His older brother (who represents the mindset of religion...you gotta earn it) is not happy because his brother did not deserve that treatment. I mean he did blow all his money at the clubs on Red Bull&Vodkas and high end weed.... ( OK I am paraphrasing Luke 15:11-32... read it for yourself)

God is Love and does not pay us back for what we deserve. The Father reaches out to us and wants to bring us home. Our true home is the Love of the Father made available through Jesus. Jesus takes your report card with your measly C's, D's and so many F's and does a great exchange. He will trade you His straight A's for your jacked up report card. See, Jesus was the perfect one that towed the straight line on our behalf. He did the hard work for you....he measured up so then you can measure up. Our work consists in believing that God is really Good and he wants us to come back home. Man...high end weed is nothing once you know the love of the Father. (Note: I challenge you that this love should not be just a head knowledge thing..but by the Holy Spirit we can really experience His love NOW)  Our work is to believe in Jesus's perfect report card that He give to us. That's so awesome..and really is Good News. He not only takes us back but brings restoration. Who is God? He is love, He is a perfect Father, He is Good, He is Almighty, He is Holy... and He wants to adopt you into his family.

My prayer is if you have drifted away from home you will find your way back. Just ask Him and he will listen and bring you Home again. Much Love - Now..isn't that Good News?

Love

Love is supposed to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Jesus said the whole idea of the Old Testament law is summed up in Loving God with everything and loving your neighbor as yourself. I don’t know how many times I have heard that, but I would put it up into the thousands. Sometimes it’s so easy to hear something so much you actually think you know it. Knowing something experientially and knowing something via a knowledge transfer is a whole different ball game. Would you rather follow someone into battle that was top in their class at West Point with no combat experience, or a five time tour of duty combat veteran? I’ll get behind the veteran please. Well, there are a lot of similarities when it comes to talking about the love of God. Sure millions of people can quote these scriptures and the 1 Corinthians love passage is read at almost every wedding. So this brings me to ask….. Have you experienced the Love of God? Are you continually experiencing His love? I propose that we need to be five time tour veterans of His love…..it’s the only way to roll. Check out what Ephesians 3: 14-19 says as Paul prays for the Ephesian believers…

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

This is a pretty cool prayer that Paul drops right here… that our roots will grow down into Gods Love and that we will experience the love of Christ. We all need a root system that is anchored in something immovable.

We recently bought our first house and it was an exciting adventure. The back yard had three large mesquite trees along the back fence. The week before we moved in a storm hit and the middle tree just fell right over. So we had the fallen tree cut up and moved out the day we moved in the new house. Since then I have done some yard work and I discovered the root system to that fallen tree running all over the back yard only about six inches under the dirt. Sure, it looked like it was stable but, when a storm came…boom…its only good use now is to smoke some BBQ.

Likewise, it is the same in my life. Let me tell you, as a believer, I have been hit with some storms that have taken me out for awhile. As I reflect, it seems during those times I seemed to have lost touch with the Love of God. Sure, I understood God loved me, but my heart was not connected with the knowledge in my head. This walk had become a religious exercise and there is no life in religion. Keep your rules please…. I want real Life. I want real Love. Shoot…I want something Real. Don’t you….I know the answer…We All Do.

It’s so easy now to launch into a message about the immense Love of Jesus and the fact he not only forgives but does an amazing job as a Restorer. But let me tell you about a time when God rocked my world and I experienced the love of God. I was nineteen and had just moved to Waco Texas. I was young with no direction and I hated God…or what I thought God was. My father was a pastor and I was the typical preacher’s kid….and I thought Christians were the biggest hypocrites. I remember renouncing God in my bedroom at the age of seventeen…just a little angry. Well…my dad knew this guy who was a Trucker, loved God, and when he prayed things happened. Yep…you heard right… God used a trucker to blow my mind. Long story short…this guy prayed for me…and I have never felt anything like that in my life. I literally felt waves of electricity pulsing through my body and it seemed like I was bathed in a sea of real tangible Love. I had lived my life in so much anger and rebellion and this God (whom I had renounced) encountered me with Love. Wow…He Loves me. Its real….it’s as real as anything I have ever encountered. I have never been the same since. I have had ups and downs have tried to run from God but the fact of the matter is…..I have NEVER been the same since.

If you are reading this, it’s my prayer and desire that you experientially know this Great and Good Love of God for yourself. If you want a place to start why don’t you pray the prayer above out of Ephesians for yourself. We all need a fresh fix…and I am addicted…to God’s Love.