Planes: Cruising Not Cursing

23 Jan ’12 By 8 Comments

Planes.

They allow carriers of the Gospel to travel more quickly and more efficiently than any time in history.

The only exception would be Philip and his translated in Acts 8:39 (my preferred method of travel, though I’ve yet to experience it).

Let’s not succumb to the tactics of the enemy that often convince us to curse modern means of transportation and technologies, and by extension curse the spreading of the Good News.

Rather, thank God for his genius. After all he invented technology, not man.

Remembering that simple truth will go a long way in ensuring we use it for Kingdom purposes. And not blow up at every gate gent we see when things don’t go our way. ch:

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Filed Under: culture, leadership, travel Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Cheese!

4 Nov ’11 By 15 Comments

My favorite past time at the moment is making Levi smile.

I got word from Jenny that he’d started while I was away in Switzerland – an interesting coincidence (more on that in a minute). His first few smiles were for his Grandma Jo-Jo, who was up helping Jenny in my absence. And it’s not surprising: Joanne is one of the kindest, most loving people I’ve ever known.

So upon my return home I was only too excited to get right in Levi’s face and start cooing and awing and blowing bubbles – acts which would be foolish to anyone else, but perfectly acceptable to a 6 week old. (Or perhaps he’s smiling because it’s foolish?).

The first time he smiled at me, the world stopped spinning.

And I wanted him to do it again.

And again.

Now I’m hooked on seeing him smile at me. The more frequently I get up close and make funny noises, the more easily he smiles; his interactions can almost be predicted (thus how I’m able to get a super adorable shot!).

But I realized, it’s not just Levi I like making smile.

While in Switzerland, I often speak on “Evangelizing through Smiling,” as the Swiss are incredibly “frowny” in public: but the moment you hold a smile on the street, they start smiling back.

And open up.

Isn’t it interesting that God put one of our greatest tools for affecting the condition of peoples’ spirits right on our face?

Try smiling today. You might be surprised at how much you receive, too. ch:

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Filed Under: #heavenmeetsearth, culture, leadership, The Hopper Kids Tagged With: , , , ,

SOW Day 4

15 Jan ’10 By 10 Comments

kebab guitar

Thursday will definitely be remembered as one of this trip’s highlights. I’m not sure if it’s because of material we covered on evangelism which I know touched the Father’s heart, or because we actually went out and did what we talked about. Most likely both.

Much of what I taught was brand new for the students, and for me, as the Holy Spirit was giving me insight into scripture in ways I had never seen before. Specifically along the lines of obedience to preach the Gospel.

I think most Christians would say that they pray for the lost; Charismatic Christians even saying they intercede. I love to pray, and I love Houses of Prayer. And here in Switzerland we are binding a spirit of witchcraft over the nation. But if rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Sam 15:23), then not following Jesus’ command to go and preach the Gospel, yet all the while “praying for the lost,” is nothing short of sorcery. Thus we are actually contributors of this prevailing spirit. For while Jesus had a profound and intimate prayer life with his Father, scripture also shows us that his greatest moments of spiritual warfare were ministering to individual lives. Touching people, setting them free. And as a result, opening perpetual doors in regions previously hostile toward him.

yverdon church thurs

During a packed-out evening church meeting, one in which the students led the first section, and Jennifer and I led the later (Jennifer had one of the most profound prophetic songs I have ever heard on the Father’s goodness, putting most everyone on their knees), I felt prompted to scrap my sermon and share more on evangelism. Then one of the SOW students interrupted me and said, “Well, let’s go!”

Why not? I thanked everyone, put the mic down, and walked out, inviting the whole group to hit the streets. It was radical. And yet so normal.

I went with a small group back to the Kebab restaurant (where we prayed for the guy with the blind eye), and brought the owner and one of the employees CDs. After eating kebabs, I put on a mini-concert, and before I knew it, the owner was dancing with one of his employees! The place was electrified with the joy of the Lord!

By the end of the night, our team was telling all the guys about the love of Jesus, the praying with them in small groups. Jennifer and I laid hands on the owner, his wife, and their kids, and prayed over them. Below a few of our guys are praying with Mo-Mo (Mohammad). Awesome.

kebab prayer

I can honestly say I haven’t felt the pleasure of God this strongly on my life in a very long time. He is re-digging wells of joy in my heart that are directly connected to looking outside of myself. ch:

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