I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.

– James Hudson Taylor

This is an amazing quote and gives me great hope for some very difficult situations that are going on right now.

Please pray for a little girl named Teagan who is very very sick, currently in critical condition at the hospital in a medical comma. She’s had seizures all her life and last week a 2.5hr seizure prompted her parents, good friends of ours, to bring her to the hospital where a CT scan revealed a swollen brain; she also has pneumonia. She is the most beautiful little girl, and she is not even five and she desperately needs our prayers. Please pray for the doctors to have wisdom to figure out what is causing the seizures (they’ve never figured it out), pray for strength for the family, and pray for complete healing in Jesus’ Name for little Teagan. Right now it is impossible, but we’re praying for done, that Teagan can be used by God as a testimony of His grace, kindness, and mercy.

A great example is the man who was blind from birth. When asked who had sinned to cause that blindness, Jesus said that no one had sinned, but that he had been born this way to demonstrate the power of God (John 9:1-11). I hope and pray and believe that it is the same for little Teagan, that her long life would be a testimony of the power of God.

The term Christian is thrown about quite loosely and I think a lot of people call themselves a Christian because they believe in God. Or they (mostly) do nice things for people. Or they go to church for Christmas… and maybe Easter if they feel like it. Maybe they think they are Christian because they were baptized as a baby. Or maybe they asked Jesus into their heart as a child.

Do any of these things make you a Christian? In and of themselves, no. Being baptized doesn’t make you a Christian. Asking Jesus into your heart once, or twice, or a whole bunch of times even, doesn’t make you a Christian. These are stepping stones on the way to becoming a Christian, sure. But making you a Christian? No way.

Let’s put it this way. Do your friends and family and co-workers know that you are a Christian? If not, then you need to do some serious soul-searching and figure out why that is. I’m not saying you need to evangelize to them all (but if you are at all concerned about their eternal souls, which you should be, then you should be talking to them about the hope within you, right?), but you need to live a lifestyle that, without a doubt, reflects that you are a Christian. Does this mean you need to be perfect? Nope. I’m far from perfect. And I am pretty much scared spitless to evangelize to people — I am more than willing to talk about Jesus and my hope and faith and love for Christ if it is brought up, but to just out of the blue talk to someone about it? I have a real hard time with that, and it really takes some prayer and dependency on the Holy Spirit to move me beyond my natural tendency to clam up.

But at the same time, I know that when people spend some time talking to me, they know I’m a Christian. I haven’t always been this way, of course, but as I’m growing and learning, I am becoming more public, more obvious. Things like saying “God bless you” roll off the tongue with such ease now, when they were so hard to say before. Taking my Bible to church was something I would do if I remembered it, but it didn’t really matter if it didn’t come with me. My Bible goes with me every time I’m at church now. And instead of tucking it away or hiding it in a stack of whatever else I happen to be carrying, it’s on top, shining for the world to see.

These are a few examples, but they convey a very important thing: I’m not ashamed or trying to hide who I am. And this is a very very important thing to realize, because Jesus says:

““Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”” (Matt 10:32-33, NKJV)

Being denied before God means an eternity separated from God. And if God is in heaven, then that means we will not be in heaven. There’s only one place left.

Look at what else Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 4:13-16, NKJV)

I heard this the other day and it really made sense. As Christians, we are the Bride of Christ, right? Ok, so all you married people out there… you do acknowledge the fact that you have a spouse, right? That you’re married? You don’t tuck your significant other in the closet and bring him or her our when the lights are off and no one is around, right?

So if we, as the church, are the Bride of Christ, why are so many of us denying the fact that we have a “husband”?

Think about it! If you ignored your spouse, didn’t spend any time with them, didn’t give them any affection, didn’t stand up for them… how long do you think your spouse is going to remain your spouse? He or she might suffer it for a while, but I’m pretty sure that at some point they are going to pointedly say to you that you’re doing something wrong and you need to acknowledge them and treat them better. Shape up or ship out. I’m pretty sure that most of us would feel the same way. Dejected, lonely, frustrated, angry — these are things anyone who is consistently ignored by their spouse feels. So then the question becomes: if we feel this way when we are neglected by our spouse, how do you think Jesus feels when His spouse-to-be is neglecting Him?

We are salt and we are light. We need to make the fact that we are Christians known. People need to look at us and know there is something different about us without us even opening our mouths and saying a word. God’s light should be shining from within us. We should be doing, and acting, and speaking, things that befit someone who belongs to a body that will be married to the King of Kings! Our attitude should be so Christ-like that people will know that we are more than just “good people” without even bringing God into the conversation. And when they ask why you’re so happy, or joyful, or what makes you so different, why do we hide the fact that it is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that has transformed and redeemed and saved us?

Living lives that are righteous, holy, and obedient before Father God are what will draw people to us and let them know that we are different without us even having to try. We need to love our neighbours as ourselves:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, NKJV)

Finally, look at the origination of the term Christian:

“So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26b, NKJV)

The disciples were called Christians! Not “the good people”, not the people who “went to church sometimes” — none of these were called Christians. The disciples were called Christians. If we profess to be Christians, we need to be disciples of Jesus Christ! There are three keys in this half of the verse: the first is that they were disciples. The second is that they assembled with the church (“spirituality without the church” is not Christianity!). The third is that they taught people.

Are you a Christian? How do you know if you’re a Christian? You know you’re a Christian if you lead a life of selfless abandon to Jesus Christ, that you love Him, that you strive to be obedient in all things. That you put on your robes of righteousness for His Name’s sake, not yours. That you do everything you can to lead a holy and righteous life. That you teach people, through words and actions. That you are a city on the hill, a light uncovered for all to see. That you do not deny Jesus — at any time. That you love His Word, that it is your daily bread. That you put Jesus before everything, before relaxation and recreation, before music or books or TV or video games or “hanging out”. That you love the Body of Christ, the church, and your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you strive for unity in all things with the Body. That you are a bride that wants to wear robes without wrinkle or spot and that you are head-over-heals in abandoned love with the only One who can save, who has given you the free gift of salvation and eternal life! That you repent of your sins, get baptized, and be filled with the Holy Spirit and then let the Holy Spirit shine through you!

Lord God, make more disciples for you! You are calling Your people to repentance, to holy and righteous living, just as You are Holy and Righteous! Shape me into a vessel of honor for Your Name’s sake, Lord, not mine. Never for me, but always for You! Jesus I love You, I exalt You, and I magnify Your precious Name! Father, thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for our my, to bridge the gap between you and me, so that I can know You and, more importantly, that You know me. Thank You Jesus for all that you have done for mankind, are doing for mankind, and will do for mankind. Thank You that You love us so much! Help me to be a worthy disciple, showing you through my words and deeds, showing a lost and dying world the one true path to everlasting life! Amen and Amen!

“For He will deliver the needy when He cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.” (Ps 72:12-14, NKJV)

The above was part of my Bible reading guide this morning and it spoke volumes due to what we had done yesterday. Yesterday, we had put on a BBQ in probably the roughest neighbourhood in our inner city, a free BBQ to feed the homeless, helpless, and the less fortunate. Why did we do this? Because we love God, and we know He loves these people and street people are of value as well (which the above verse definitely indicates!), and they deserve to be shown the same dignity and respect that we are all accustomed to.

This is the third year this event has been put on, and preparation for it began months ago. There were preparations in the natural, of course, soliciting donations for the event, but there were also preparations in the spiritual realm. Twice we had done prayer walks around the field, just praying that God would do what He does best: meet with people, transform people, that His Spirit would be there in a very real way. As organizers, we had prayed together and individually for this thing for weeks beforehand.

Yesterday morning I was up at six in the morning, preparing to be down at the site for eight in the morning to begin setup. That morning I was reading from the book of Acts, and the works of the early church inspired me for the day. What powerful things the early church had done! What beautiful adoration to God, to His Word, to His divine purpose! What a humbling thing to try and recreate by the work we were doing!

The BBQ was an absolute success. Despite little technical setbacks early on that, in the grand scheme of things, really amounted to nothing, we had an opportunity to feed at least 500-700 people. Local media was out, so we got a few seconds of exposure on the local TV stations (keep reading to see the clips) and there should be an article in the local newspaper regarding it as well. It was a hot day, up to 24C and many of us got sun burnt. We gave away so much, a thousand hot dogs and a thousand hamburgers, brand-new clothes that were donated, pillows, donuts, fruit, chips, pop, bottles of water. Thank you to the many companies that supported us and gave freely to the event, and thank you to the many volunteers that helped. God bless you all!

Now that the natural results have been described, I need to describe the spiritual. And this is what made this day so exciting, so powerful, and so exhausting. As I said, we were praying for weeks before the event and even driving down, the music in the car was off, and I was praying for the BBQ, for the volunteers, for the food, for the people that were coming to the event. And God moved in an absolutely powerful way! Thank You God that You listen to the heart-felt prayers of Your people who are striving to be obedient and do Your will! There is so much to describe, so it may be a bit disjointed — please bear with me.

First and foremost, there was such a sense of joy among the volunteers. There were no arguments, no one complained about having to do more than others, or do something they didn’t like. We were united in one purpose. There were smiles everywhere, people were so welcoming to those coming through the line to be fed, there was a genuine servanthood evident. There was such complete _peace_ in that place. You need to understand that these are people who are accustomed to a life of strife and fighting, that literally fight over scraps of food. Yet it was so peaceful in the field. There was no striving for places in line. They were patient, despite the heat, and they were grateful for the food. They were polite, thankful. To put this in perspective, I drove off-site around 2:30 in order to get some coffee. Not even a block away I saw two men yelling at each other and fighting. When we were loading the left over supplies into the church at 6:00 there were young men and women, right before the doors of the church (which is also right in the middle of downtown) fighting and swearing and arguing. But in that place, at that time, there was complete and utter peace. No fighting, no arguing, no dissension.

I believe with all of my heart that God put His angels around that field as a hedge of protection. As we walked around and prayed for that field in the weeks leading up to the BBQ, and on the day of the event as we prayed, I believe God anointed that piece of land for His purpose while we were there. We prayed for protection and we got it. We prayed for peace, we prayed that the ground would be saturated with the blood of Jesus, that the Holy Spirit would overshadow that field and we received all of these things.

I remember a half dozen of us were behind the stage when the first pastor was preaching and we were crying out to God for repentance and open ears and open hearts and open minds. We cried out to God on behalf of the people, that the Holy Spirit would use the pastor’s mouth to speak life to these people. And we were rewarded with about a dozen people coming forward to the altar to be prayed for and receive Bibles.

Later in the afternoon a few us were getting ready to go off-site to clean up garbage. We had put it off to wait for someone who was supposed to come with us, and so we waited about an extra 20-30 minutes. Right when we were about to go (despite the person we were waiting for not coming back), preaching began and there was such an anointing that fell that we knew cleaning up the garbage of the streets around us was secondary to cleaning up the people before us, so we went into the crowd of people instead and just talked to people, showing them they were of value, speaking life into their lives, and just providing an ear to listen to them. Many people were prayed for, many seeds were planted.

After that, we had another pastor preaching and at the end of his message, he asked people who wanted to receive prayer to just put up their hands. I was at the front watching the sound board, having sat down for the first time in probably six hours, and I looked out and one man caught my eye. His hand was up and I felt led to go over to him and as the pastor was praying, I just stood behind him, put my hand on his shoulders and prayed. After the prayer was done I was able to sit with him and talk to him about how much Jesus loved him, how much value He had before God, and just really inspire him and lift him up. I told him about the inner city church, and he said he had a friend that went there and had asked him to go. I encouraged him to go, and I pray that he did go this morning, or will go this evening.

It was a long day of praying and interceding for people, and then there was the cleanup. Tearing everything down and hauling it back to the church was a job and a half, and we had less people to help with the tear-down than we did for the setup. Thank you so much to those who stuck around to help bring all this stuff back to the church! We were all tired and exhausted but we did it with a cheerfulness I don’t know if you would find anywhere else. And when that was said and done, we had another divine appointment waiting when we got back to the field. At this point, the field was empty, and all that was left were dirty BBQs waiting to be loaded up and taken away.

But with the five of us there, we had a man come over trying to sell us some shoes. He was obviously a street person, and not one of us really had a need for shoes (despite them being really nice shoes!). But my friend, God bless him, offered to buy the shoes if he could talk to the man for a few minutes about Jesus. You could see his back get rigid and he got defensive, but he was willing, so the two of them went off for at least 20 minutes. Then they came back, we chatted a bit, and then someone asked if we could pray for him. At this point, he had his $30 for the shoes and could have declined, but I know he was there by divine appointment and he was willing. I don’t know if he expected something short and sweet, but there were five of us and we all prayed over him… we covered him for at least 15 minutes and the Holy Spirit was definitely there. We poured God’s love over him, our love over him, the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance and discernment. We covered him the blood of Jesus and prayed that his heart would be changed and that he too, would find his way the next day to church, and that the enemies lies would be exposed for what they were. He was told in no uncertain terms that the shoes meant absolutely nothing to us, but that we had a deep and sincere desire to minister to his spirit, that the money meant nothing to us. He left with his money, and thanked us for the prayers. I sincerely hope he made his way to the church this morning as well; I pray that the Holy Spirit ordered his steps because I know that he was there by divine appointment. God had His hand in the whole day, and this meeting was no exception, no coincidence.

I got home at 8:30 last night, over 12.5hrs after leaving that morning. It was an exhausting day: physically and spiritually. But it was also one of the most beautiful days I’ve experienced, and despite what God did for the people that we served, I know that He was pouring His love into me — not necessarily love for _me_, but sharing His love for His children, for the people that live on the streets, the people that most would discount as non-people, people of no value. He was giving me His love for them so that it would become _my_ love for them! I know that a gratefulness for God Himself and a love for people was birthed in me yesterday, and it spilled over this morning.

Despite a good 9hrs of sleep and still being exhausted this morning, and feeling that I couldn’t give God what He deserved at church this morning, I was completely and utterly abandoned in worship to my almighty Lord and Saviour Jesus. The Holy Spirit visited me so powerfully that if I could have I would have knelt in the aisle and wept with joy before my God. As it was, I stood with arms raised and wept before Him, declaring my love for Him and the awesome privilege that He gave me to be able to do His work yesterday. Jesus, I love you so much, and thank You for the most awesome privilege of being able to serve a people so dear to Your heart! Thank You!

And the message this morning really struck me, as it was about the fruit of repentance, or the true signs of a Christian believer. And the first of the three fruit was being generous and compassionate. How amazing that this message came a day after the service we had done! (Have you ever noticed that God affirms His work in your life through the ministry of the Word? I sure have!) A true Christian will display the fruits of generosity and compassion to people, as John the Baptist said:

“So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do likewise.”” (Luke 3:10-11, NKJV)

I count myself privileged that God saw fit to use me yesterday, and I may myself available for continued. He blessed my heart yesterday, truly, and my reward this morning was to feel Him so powerfully to the point where I felt like I couldn’t contain it anymore. Thank You Jesus so much that You love me and care for me, and that You are continuing to shape me into a vessel of honour that can be poured out to bless Your people!

The following video clips are from the news yesterday. We got a little bit of coverage, but sadly they didn’t keep any of the parts talking about God. Truly this was done in His service, for His honour and His glory. And while the media might not acknowledge that, every person who was there yesterday, from those giving their testimonies and those putting ketchup on a bun, to those who received food for their bellies and their spirits, _they_ know that this was done all for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you again, to all the volunteers that helped out. I had a lot of family out to help, and I’m so proud of them for being willing to give of themselves to this cause. I’m grateful to my little girl who handed out water and pop with such enthusiasm and generosity; you make me so proud. And to my lovely wife who gave of herself the whole day, serving people and talking and listening, bless you for doing what God has called you to do. I feel such a pride for my family, yet I am humble before my God who counted me trustworthy enough yesterday to minister to people. What a privilege!

This is a powerful message, and it is one that many will find offensive or “dated”, and the only reason you would think that is if you have bought into the “contemporary Christian” or “carnal Christian” mentality that is so prevalent in western churches today.

I don’t want to reiterate what Paul Washer said — if you know you are a Christian, you need to watch this. If you think you are a Christian, you really need to watch this. If you are not a Christian, you should watch this as well. The guts it took for this man to stand before an audience of 5,000 people (most of them youth), and preach this message, is astounding.

What I would like to do is focus on one thing he says because it really resonates with other things that I have really been feeling in the last few weeks, particularly in the areas of righteousness and holiness.

“‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way the leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.’” (Matt 7:13-14, NKJV)

Many Christians today think that righteousness and holiness is a lifestyle choice, like choosing to eat Subway over McDonalds, or drinking water over soda pop. Unfortunately, the Bible never taught that (as Bible-believing Christians) we had any choice on how we live as Christians. We were called to be holy and righteous — not as a lifestyle choice, but as a mandate. We were called to examine ourselves, line ourselves up to the Word, to be like Jesus as much as we can in this fallen earthly flesh. When did we get the idea that we ever had a choice?

Sadly, society and the idea of being un-offensive to people have told us the lie that we do have a choice, and when we read that verse we think of only the narrow gate, and think only that when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, then that’s it. Done deal. I’m going to heaven now. And we never change how we live our lives. Nothing changes! We continue to be of the world, rather than in the world. Two very different things!

Yes, the narrow gate is the first step and I believe that gate is coming into a personal relationship with Jesus. Nothing else counts. His Name is the only Name by which men are saved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Period.

But we’ve glossed over verse 14 where it says that the way is difficult. That means the gate isn’t the final destination. There is a path after the gate, and it too is narrow. It is difficult. It is a life of discipline, of surrender, of change. It is a life of being led by, and changed by, the Holy Spirit. It is a life of transformation and regeneration, becoming a “new creation” or a “new man”.

The gate is not the end of the road. It’s the beginning!

In western civilization, there is so much sensitivity, compromise, and tolerance. None of these things were taught in the Bible. Look at how “harsh” the church in Acts was:

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immortality as is not even named among the Gentiles — that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you [...] deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Cor 5:1-5, NKJV)

Would we even think of doing something like that today? But this is where Paul preached a “no tolerance” message. Why then, do we look the other way? Are we taking “turn the other cheek” too far, turning it into “turn a blind eye”?

It is no wonder that power is lost in the church when the messages delivered from the pulpit are all “feel good” messages or talks about current events. I thank God that He put me into a church that preaches the Holy Word of God, regardless of whether it is comfortable or not. That teaches Christian life through the Bible and not through someone’s handbook or some fanciful ideals.

Too many people today consider themselves Christians, or saved, and refuse to allow God to transform their lives. They are full of pride, go to the bars, get drunk, show off their bodies with sensual dress, do drugs, chase after money, watch pornography, live with their girlfriend or boyfriend without making a commitment to marriage, get divorced without taking their marriage before God and making an effort to fix things, tell crude jokes, lie, steal, cheat, show unkindness to people — the laundry list of sin goes on. And then these people have the audacity to consider themselves Christian? Many of them go to church on Sunday, raise their hands, worship God, and then are at the bar getting drunk on Monday, or going home with their common-law “significant other” to persist in a life of sin! God forgive me, but I have been guilty of some of these myself and bought into the lie that it was ok, I’m a Christian, I can ask for forgiveness and I’ll be forgiven. But until I repented and turned away from what I was doing, I was no different from anyone else who calls themselves Christian. Jesus forgive me for making a mockery of Your Most Holy Name!

People, the term “Christian” embraces proverbially all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like!

How then can we call ourselves Christian if the things we do are not noble, not good, and not Christ-like?

I’m not saying that overnight we have an encounter with God and turn around to become perfect. This is a life of repentance, discipline, and serving Jesus with our every last breath. This is a life of going to God with our struggles and concerns and worries and having hope, faith, and trust that He will guide us through His Holy Spirit. And there will be evidence! To have an encounter with God that lasts a week, or a month, and then go back to the same old thing that you were doing exactly before having that encounter with God is not proof that you are saved. Having your mind transformed and continually improving, changing, and leading a life that is pleasing to God is proof! Not everyone will become evangelists or preachers after an encounter with God but you will start displaying the fruits of the Spirit!

If you have never read Galations, below is a verse that is the litmus test for anyone who professes to be a Christian. Which are you? Flesh or Spirit? This is where we have been called to examine ourselves. Examine your fruit and if the fruit you find is not the fruit of the Spirit, then perhaps you need to rethink the life you are leading. I know that listening to Paul Washer’s sermon has made me look at my life again. I am so far from perfect that it isn’t even funny, but by the Grace of Almighty God I know I am a new creation and I know that He is doing a good work in me because I see changes in me that were not there years or even months ago. Thank you Lord for continuing to change me into a vessel that would honor and glorify You!

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Gal 5:19-26, NKJV)

I pray that you really take this to heart, and that you have the courage to listen to Paul Washer’s sermon in its entirety. God bless him for the courage it took to preach a message that is not dated, not irrelevant, and not “old school” but is so desperately pertinent to today’s declining church!

The last five months have been… interesting, exciting, wild, stretching, and growing. God has been moving in amazing ways and I believe it all turned around because we were obedient to Him and did what He asked of my wife and I. This is a bit of a long story, but to give some background, my wife and I had gone through presbytery four years ago and had an amazing and somewhat frightening/exciting Word spoken over us. For those that don’t know what presbytery is, it’s when you fast and pray and seek God and have prophets speak God’s Word over you. For some, it provides life direction, for some it gives insight into the future that God has planned for you, for some it’s just plain old encouragement. If you’ve never been to a prophetic meeting like this, it really is something to behold. The Holy Spirit moves in ways that can’t even be described. Re-reading the word spoken over us still brings tears to my eyes and chills down my spine.

Without getting into it overly much (because there is a lot), the main thrust of the word was that we were going to be deeply rooted in the House of God, and that we would be involved with people. We would have a heart of evangelism, and a hunger in our spirit to see God’s Will done in the earth. That we would go up against the enemy and not be afraid and, just as importantly, have a God-given power over the enemy. That our home would be open, that we would get involved in discipleship and mentoring and getting involved in people’s lives. That we would have a spirit of outreach.

These are beautiful things to hear, but for someone who doesn’t really like people, this wasn’t really what I wanted to hear. I’m not really a people person, and I’m also very cynical and critical of people; part of that has to do with my personality, and part of that is due to my job and its lack of social interactions. My passion for God was most definitely there, but my passion for people was… pretty lacking. My wife is the complete opposite. She loves people, but being told we would be coming up against dark kingdoms really concerned her. I’ve had a past that dealt with spiritual warfare, so I can’t say I was comfortable with it, but it wasn’t scary because I know how powerful God can be in those situations.

So for four years this prophetic word has been remembered and forgotten, ignored and cried out for… but all things are in His timing. And just before last Christmas, He brought us to a whole new level of faith, passion, worship… and looking back now, we can pin-point to exactly when He started unfolding His plan for us.

It began with our nephew, who was 18 and leading a life not at all pleasing to God. He was not living at home, and he was involved with a girl that we had been told was being abused at home (she was 17). We had them over for dinner and were trying to help them, encourage them, and speak to them; he was looking for work and was going to get an apartment so he could take care of her and get her out of her (abusive) home. I had such a strong feeling that we needed to bring her into our house, but I didn’t say anything about it. I told God that if this was from Him, it needed to come from my wife. Well, a few weeks later we were talking about the kids and what was going on, and she brought up the idea of her staying with us, and then I told her what I had been feeling. And she talked to her mother, and she also said that she was thinking the same thing but didn’t want to suggest it since it wasn’t her place.

After that we extended the invitation. Keep in mind that at this point we hardly knew the girl and had no idea what we were getting into. We only knew that God wanted us to do this, and we prayed and sought His Will and everything we prayed that would tell us this was from Him came to pass. This was going to be a major disruption to our small family unit, but we wanted to be obedient. As the date was fast approaching, talking with my nephew, we knew there was some serious spiritual baggage here as well. She was adopted at a young age (four or five) and was given up by a mother who was into witchcraft and paganism. She saw her birth mother occasionally and received crystals and other new age items from her. And a witch’s spellbook.

At this point, I started praying overtime because I did NOT want that in my home. However God wanted to ensure it didn’t get into my home, I was praying that it would stay out. At the same time I confessed that the book had no power in my home, so if it did make it in there, it would be dead words with no power. At the same time, I wasn’t supposed to know about this book, so I didn’t want to call her out on it. I had to trust that God would do what was right for our family.

After about a week we were talking about Christianity and alternate religions and she mentioned that she had a spellbook, and this was where I tensed. But, praise God, she said she had left it at her parents’ place because she didn’t feel it would be appropriate to bring it here (she very much knew we were Christian). Hallelujah!

We were prepared to have her as part of our family for a long time to come. We didn’t have overly strict rules, but having a young daughter — there were things we just could not permit. Sadly, the living situation only lasted for a month, at which point we had to ask her to leave due to certain behaviours and the poor choices she was making. At that point I can’t say she was better or worse for having lived with us, but I believe we were planting seeds and speaking into her life, and we still pray for her and talk to her; she’s not out of our life entirely. But for the sake of our daughter, she couldn’t stay with us. Now, I know God uses these things and can bring it to remembrance in the future for her benefit. We planted seeds, and the Holy Spirit will water them in His timing. I also believe that He was testing us, to see if we were ready to walk out in what He planned for us. Did we pass the test? I don’t know, but He is unveiling things in us, and changing us, and stretching us in ways we cannot imagine.

If you told me a year ago that I, in particular, would have a heart for people, I would have said you were nuts. I don’t like people, and I don’t like talking to people. But now my home has become a whirlwind of activity, of visits from people. I’ve reconnected with a friend I grew up with, watching his baptism, seen how God has changed his life and set him on fire for God. We now see each other every week for bible study; sometimes two or three times a week. I believe God brought him to us to set US on fire, like he is, and that we were brought to him to make him accountable to someone, and to be strength for him and his family. God is blooming a relationship there in a huge way, and I’m so grateful for it.

I’ve run into a friend from 16 years or so ago whom if you told me he would be going to any church, let alone my church, I would have said you were cracked. Sadly, he has some odd ideas that are not biblical, so I don’t know if I’m here for correction and mentoring as well, or just to pray for truth and sight for him. Time, and God, will tell. But he’s another person back in our life.

There are other people in dire circumstances that are reaching out to US for prayer. We’ve known these people for years and yes, we’ve talked to them and we like and enjoy spending time with them, but I’ve never seen myself as a witness or example for them, or someone I would think that THEY thought they could talk to! Relationships are building there as well and just today I felt led to fast and pray for their circumstances, pleading before God to do a mighty work in their lives.

My sister-in-law and her boyfriend, whom we’ve been praying for years to get to church, have started coming to church. Praise God! Relationship there has been strained for a few years and by the Grace of God it is rebuilding as well and I just pray that the Word sinks in and brings life and conviction and a personal relationship with Jesus.

I took my daughter to the young adults worship service last night. She’s far from being a young adult, but my little girl was praising with her hands high and on bended knee, kneeling before her King. Praise God, it was a sight to bring tears to my eyes! So now I’ve been told (by her) that we’re going every Monday night! I can’t even describe how awesome that is.

My prayer life has gotten deeper, more intense. I am a watchman on the wall. I am standing in the gap for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I bought a whiteboard the other day that is our prayer board and already there are over two dozen names and circumstances on there that will be prayed for daily until there is breakthrough.

Would all of this have come to pass if we hadn’t been obedient to God five months ago and brought this girl into our home for a month? I don’t know, but I don’t believe it would. I think you need to prove to God that you are ready to be responsible with what He wants to give you. If God purposes for you to have an abundance of finances, but you squander what you have on foolish things, well guess what? He won’t give you what He wants to because you are irresponsible with it. Read the parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30). You have to prove to God you are ready.

My wife and I always dreamed about having a big home and how we would have people over and have youth group things and whatnot there. How we would be all evangelistic if God blessed us with a large home. Well guess what? God would never give it to us since we weren’t using the home we currently had for His work and His honor and His glory! We could sit there and say “if” until the cows came home, but if we weren’t prepared and willing to use our home now, as modest as it is, for His work, no way were we going to get something better!

I love this quote… I have no idea who wrote it, but:

“If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Well guess what. It is US and it is TODAY! There is such an urgency and a burden in me now to do God’s “thing” (whatever it is!) that I’m taking that leap of faith and letting Him put or pull me wherever He wants me. That is what birthed this site. That is what is birthing vision for great things of what God wants to do in me, and my family, and those around me.

Being obedient WILL change your life. I’ve traded what was unimportant for what is of the utmost importance. So I don’t watch as much TV. So I don’t play video games as much. So I don’t spend as much time doing recreational things. So what! None of that lasts. TV and video games and other recreation is all stuff for the moment… it doesn’t last. It’s not making me a better person. It’s not serving anything or anyone but me, in the “now”. What God is steering us towards is everlasting and of immense consequence. And I know this is just the start of it.

Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done!

I just love what God is doing and how He’s turned my life from being a person willing to give only “so much” and only to certain people, into someone who is shouldering burdens for anyone who asks. And I love seeing this prophetic word start to unfold and if I look at it, I know there is so much more to come. All I have to do to experience it is to humble myself and be obedient, and this is something that my wife and I are sold-out to do.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15b, NKJV)

Amen!!

I just felt like I needed to share how God is opening my eyes and growing me. I am most definitely an unfinished work, more coal than diamond, but the Lord is revealing things to me and impressing things upon my heart — particularly the other night. My wife and I are part of a Bible study that for three weeks does a regular Bible study, then on the fourth week go out and do what we’ve been reading about. So we’ve been in Matthew, and as a result we pooled some money and put together some small bags of items for homeless people with the idea that we would wander around downtown and hand them out, witnessing to people.

The bags were quite modest: toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, a comb, shampoo, a pair of socks, some candies and a few other assorted hygiene things, and a business card sized print out of Jeremiah 29:11-13. We chose this because people on the streets need hope (well, we all need hope, but I think they need it in particular), and we wanted to share the fact that God does have good thoughts towards us, and that He wants us to have a future, and hope.

Now, I have to be honest here. I’m not a people person. I’m about as close to an anti-social hermit as you can get while having a family and going to church three times a week. I’m not generally a fan of people — I’m not outgoing, I don’t talk a lot, and I’m quite shy. My appearance probably doesn’t help matters much because I tend to intimidate people (or so I’m told), and my “style” of dress and skin adornments probably doesn’t help either. My wife, on the other hand, is the complete opposite — she talks a lot, she’s bubbly and outgoing, very animated and excited. As you can imagine, this is where God is growing me. Witnessing to street people sounds great, until you actually do it. And, if you’re like me, you’re fervently praying for strength and courage before heading out because this is _WAY_ out of my comfort zone.

The experience was nowhere near as horrible as my over-active imagination told me it would be. God did indeed grant me peace. I wasn’t anxious, I wasn’t nervous. As we were driving to our destination, we’re singing praises in the car and I felt great. Until we ended up at the homeless shelter for men. The idea was to get into the chapel and hand out our goodie bags to the men inside (provided there weren’t too many in the service as we only had about 40 packages). There were enough men in there to give everyone one and have a few left overs, so in we went.

We caught the tail-end of the chapel service and were there to pray over people. It was amazing to see what God was doing there. In a humble, run-down room in a downtown homeless shelter, the Holy Spirit moved. Words of knowledge came about people, hands were laid on them, and I know God did some healing there. And when that was done, it was our turn to bless these men with the packages we had prepared.

It took me until the next day to be able to really articulate what happened there. I think I was almost numb while we handed out these bags; there was a really oppressive feel to the place, and a real drag on my heart. Looking at these men, dressed in dirty clothes, not clean nor smelling the greatest, there was a run of emotions on different faces. There were guys animated and excited that the sandwiches and coffee were available; this may very well have been the only thing they were eating that day. There were those who looked thoughtful, as though pondering what the chaplain had been preaching about. There were those that looked like the only reason they were in a “church service” was to get some food, and they didn’t have anywhere else to be, so why not be there? And then there were those with sad eyes and depressed expressions. They moved slowly, they were quiet, they were embarrassed to have to need or want what we were giving out (which wasn’t much).

One fellow in particular struck me — I still can see his face. He was a normal guy. Someone you’d see in a shopping mall and wouldn’t think twice about. But something happened to him and this was his first night in the shelter. He was so absolutely sad… you could see the despair, the bleakness, just the unveiled emotion on his face as he quietly took what we offered him. He could have been my neighbour, he looked so “normal”. He could have been _me_.

Another older fellow, probably in his 60′s, that my wife has really engaged with had been living in the shelter for two years. Now I don’t know his whole story, but he definitely wanted to get out of there. He had a university degree, but he was an alcoholic. He collects his bottles every day and that’s all he gets. I think my wife was a real blessing to him, talking to him, actually paying attention to him. The new gloves she was wearing came off and she gave them to him — pushing his cart around during the day was causing his fingers to freeze and really hurt (it can get quite cold here). God answered a prayer for her that night, as she had been praying before heading out that she could give those gloves to someone who really needed them.

Another fellow took his boots off right then and there and put his new socks on.

My wife came home excited, feeling like she was Jesus’ Hands and Feet. When she asked me if I felt the same way, I honestly had to answer that I didn’t. With my personality (which I’m praying God changes!) I didn’t really connect with anyone or spend a lot of time talking to any one person. It wasn’t that I was scared or intimidated, but I just didn’t know what to say other than “God bless you”. How can I engage in a conversation with these guys when I have absolutely no idea what it is like to even walk a mile in their shoes? There is no common ground here and if there’s no common ground, I’m lost.

No, she came home excited and I came home with an overwhelming sense of both sadness and extreme gratitude for what God has done for me, and provided me with. I came home with the realization that the cheap coffee and jam sandwich they got after chapel might very well have been their best meal that day and the realization that even my most modest meal would be a gourmet feast for them. I came away with the feeling that I was surrounded by _stuff_ that really meant nothing. I’m not a materialistic person, but over the years when you have your own place, you accumulate _stuff_, and we have lots of stuff because God has really blessed us. I sat in the living room and really saw nothing but meaningless garbage. Yeah, it’s nice, but in the grand scheme of things, does any of it really matter?

I’m not planning on taking a vow of poverty and giving every penny I have to the poor, mind you. I don’t think that’s what God wants me to do, and I think I would be doing my family a disservice since I do work so hard for what I earn. But He has opened my eyes so that I can realize that it is the eternal things that matter. Souls, and eternal destinations. That when I’m blessing dinner and thanking God for it, that now I can _really_ thank Him because I’ve seen first-hand what the alternative is. That buying a new video game or movie really doesn’t matter. That He has to become more of my focus, and that my family has to take priority over so many other things (I’m a bit of a workaholic). That, at the end of the day, even small amounts of generosity to a class of people that most consider worthless can really be a blessing to them, and to really appreciate and not take for granted the family, the job, the home, and the many pairs of socks, that I have.

And we certainly intend to do this again. Maybe next time we can budget out a few of the extras we feel are so necessary (which really aren’t) and use that money to get some more of these packages put together. We had enough just for the men in the chapel and a few on the way out. But there were so many more that would have really appreciated receiving one, yet there was none left. And that was a hard thing as well.

God is growing me, and I’m not really sure where He intends this to go, but wherever it is I know He is with me and that if I obey His Word, He’ll keep me on the straight and narrow path that leads to life, and it’s my prayer that as I go, I can take a whole lot of people with me. Even that night — we didn’t have any miracle conversions or trophies to add to our “Going To Heaven” belt, but I truly believe seeds were planted. And the more seeds that are planted, the more chance there is that when the Holy Spirit waters, those seeds will grow and, I pray, eventually bear good fruit. So if we did nothing more than plant seeds, that is ok. There is no harvest without seeding, so if I’m called to be a sower rather than a harvester, then I’ll be satisfied with where God has called me and is placing me.