Category Archives: Dreams

Come Run With Us! (PART 2)

Leave a reply

God never calls a person or a people to a vison He has not already imprinted in their personal or corporate makeup and purpose. In essence, the vision exists already in our spiritual DNA, put there by God as we are formed in our mother’s womb. It must be discovered through our relationship with God. As that relational aspect deepens, a partnership flourishes and reveals the vision, giving us a way to fulfill our purpose. We can only discover it—we don’t devise, develop, or design it. It is a prophetic seed planted in the cracks and the crevices of our soul and spirit awaiting the divine moment of disclosure.

When the vision is articulated clearly there is an apprehension of God’s revelation for our existence and address in whatever location we find ourselves. We are not here in our present location as a church accidently, nor are we, as individuals bound together in this local body by chance. We are here corporately and individually for a specific reason—to do something no one else can do at this precise moment in this particular place. This is the sovereign choice of an omnipotent God.

To comprehend and embrace that vision is our responsibility. If we do so—God will supply the provisions for us to apprehend what He intends. And in the process of capturing God’s corporate purpose we set into place the foundational qualities required for a local church (a body of believers in a specific location) to sustain healthy growth and life-changing impact. The vision fulfilled is the destiny of Eagle’s Wing Church—a God-given dream that becomes an on-going God-guided reality. Without a vision there is nothing to drive the dream and it soon disintegrates like a child’s fantasy—an imagination without application.

Vision brings clarity and definition to our purpose— it’s the “who we are.” It reveals our identity. Vision fleshes out our purpose—it’s the “why we are here.” It reveals our giftings.  And ultimately this vision creates strategies and structure to fulfill our purpose—it’s the “how we accomplish what we are here to do.” It reveals our destiny. We cannot reach our destiny unless we recognize our identity and release the giftings the Holy Spirit has deposited within each of us.

A vision believes the future now by focusing on it through God’s eyes. The Bible calls that faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. Therefore a God-given vision, discovered and implemented, is indispensable for achieving God’s prophetic purpose for our existence here on the third planet from the sun in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

Come Run With Us (Part 1)

Leave a reply

God often speaks through prophetic words at the most unexpected times through the least likely people, or at least he does when he speaks to me. I happen to believe God still speaks and He uses people just like us to deliver life-changing or life-affirming words from His heart through their lips to our ears. The ability to hear what God is saying and share it word-for-word is the essence of the New Testament gift of prophecy, which according to the apostle Paul, we are to “…desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you might prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:1). This is something God gives all of us permission to pursue.

This past Thursday I received such a word while meeting with a prayer group at the “There Is More” Conference. I was not expecting it. If fact, I was overwhelmed by it. My prayer-partner for the morning, an unassuming gentleman, opened his mouth and out tumbled a genuine word of affirmation and direction from God. He didn’t know me from Adam. All he knew was my name, state, and country of residence—only because that information was printed on my conference badge. God’s prophetic declaration, filled with power and authority, began to reverberate deep within my spirit. I saw William’s lips moving but I heard God’s voice. I have chosen to share the totality of this word with you, even though some of it is very personal to me.

 “I see a hard shell like a turtle shell on your back. It is not a bad thing—it is a good thing. This shell protects you. You are a free-thinker—a rebel, but you are not rebellious. You are focused and know where you are going, but you have been wounded by groups in the past. You have a group that is following you now, but there are many others who will come. You know where God is leading—the pathway is clear to you. Write it down, so others can read it and follow.”

Yes, God has given me a clear and distinct vision for Eagle’s Wing Church. From the beginning, we have tenaciously pursued this blueprint, confident God had called us to plant a different kind of church.  Different meaning what most believers would call unconventional, one that refuses to conform to the codes and conventions of what has become modern “church as usual.” I believe with all my heart God has called us to be a “church unusual”—one that operates with kingdom codes and conventions thus creating a kingdom culture where King Jesus dwells in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.   

It has not been easy. In fact, every inch of ground we have gained has been taken at great expense. This territory God is calling us to claim, re-conquer and occupy is not cheap or worthless. No, it’s our heritage as sons and daughters of God. This priceless birthright has been lost, stolen, and/or given away down through church history, but God is now calling out a people to fully take back what the Lamb of God purchased with his blood on the cross. We are part of that people.

If not us—who? If not now—when?

Yes, I am a rebel, if a rebel is one who refuses to settle for less than everything God has promised. Yes, I am a rebel, if a rebel is one who believes the promises of Jesus like the one found in John 14:12—that “…he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.”

Therefore, I choose to obey the word God gave me last Thursday on August 15, 2019. I choose to write this vision down over the next few week and post it publically so anyone who wants, can read it and follow it. I am doing this in full faith believing God will bring those of like spirit and heart to join us. I am doing it because those of you who are currently a part of Eagle’s Wing need to know where we are going, so that you might count the cost and decide if the destination is worth pursuing. And, I am doing it to obey God’s word, because full obedience always brings God’s blessing and the fulfillment of that word.  God says, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

Come run with us!

Wanted: Dreamers

Leave a reply

Of the human experience, one of the saddest realities is the adult who never achieves his or her dreams. Statistics reveal this description fits eight out of ten of us. Perhaps even sadder is the fact that most of this eighty percent won’t even remember as adults the dreams they imagined as children. That’s a disheartening stat for a dreamer.

IMG_0261-e1453834633698

Our childhood dreams are clues to the destiny God has for each of us. Yes, I believe those dreams are given to us by God in seed form. He plants them in the cracks and crevices of our soul and spirit, and over time, they sprout in our heart and mind. If we partner with God, those dreams begin to produce fruit and move from the realm of imagination into the realm of reality.

As children, we are all fitted with an aptitude for imagination—the ability to perceive something before it has become a reality. Imagination can be the stuff of far-fetched fantasy or the genesis of a reality yet to be discovered or created. Both find their residence in the heart and the mind of a child. And this imagination fertilizes and irrigates the dream God has planted in us.

But sadly, most of those dreams are stolen. We accept the limitations of others, their crushing words, our insatiable appetite for acceptance, or we bow to the altars of reason, intellect, and cynicism. Those dreams entrusted to us by God are eventually lost under the debris of unbelief somewhere deep within in the dusty, cobwebbed corridors of a no longer needed childhood imagination.

Our world desperately cries out for a handful of dreamers who will once again entertain those God-sized dreams. We long for a few visionaries, who glimpse through their imagination what God’s reality for this world looks like. We crave some romantics who will lead us out of this malaise of skepticism and back into the authenticity of a society marked by genuine love. Without the ability to transact in the currency of the imagination, the hearts of those who profess to be Christ-followers will calcify and eventually petrify, leaving the world to its own hopeless, apocalyptic implosion.

We must reclaim our God-given capacity to dream. Dreaming is not a waste of time, it is a necessity to rescue and redeem our limited time. I challenge you to ask God to awaken the dreams he’s sown into your soul and spirit so long ago. Stop gorging yourself on what culture, society, intellectualism, or business says is equitable, acceptable, and financially feasible. Stop listening to the naysayers and the doomsdayers. Blow off the dust, take it in your hands, hold it close to your heart, and nurture that dream until it becomes all that God says it will be.

Let the dreamers arise and ascend until these divine aspirations move from the fertile fields of imagination into the fruitful place of realization.

Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice of the Church (Part 3)

Leave a reply

God is still speaking but we must learn to listen. Scripture illustrates numerous methods God used when talking with his people with his prophetic people. Prophetic people are the ones who will listen and then speak what God said. In our last blog we looked at the Bible, personal visits, angelic visitations, and the audible voice of God. Let’s consider some other examples found in Scripture.

Sometimes God speaks one word or through fragmented words in a sentence that seem to have no clear meaning. He did that with Isaiah and told him to write down the words in a scroll. Isaiah was forced to pursue God to find the meaning. These kinds of words draw us closer to God.

A word from God often has no voice—it is simply something you know all of a sudden that you didn’t know a moment ago. God puts the word in your head and you know that you know without any rational explanation.

He also speaks through impressions. Impressions are a bit less certain than that inner knowing. They are feelings that we should do or say something. God used impressions numerous times throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

God also employs dreams, visions, and trances to speak. Dreams occur when we sleep and our defenses are down. Visions are similar to dreams, but they normally occur when we are awake. Scripture makes no real distinction between them. A trance is a vision in which the person loses the use of their physical sense. Peter and Paul fell into trances. God has promised in Joel 2 and Peter testified that this Scripture had come true in Acts 2 that in the last days all God’s people would speak prophetically. Some would dream dreams and others would have visions. These are commons means by which God speaks.

The Lord also uses nature to speak to us. The analogies he can draw from between the natural and the spiritual world are endless. Those things happening in the natural often mirror what is happening in the supernatural.

God can also use physical manifestations in our bodies to share insight. He often does this when he wants to heal another person. You might feel something in an area of your body that another person is suffering with. Through a word of knowledge—a prophetic word—God may use you to be the conduit for his healing presence and power, if you are tuned in and turned on.

God also speaks prophetically through music and songs. He has even scratched messages in plaster walls.

You may be thinking, “But…but…but…but.” But nothing—God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and yes—tomorrow. If we want to hear God speak we have to understand how he speaks. He even wrote these methods down for us so we would not miss the prophetic word when it comes.

Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice of the Church (Part 2)

Leave a reply

To reclaim something you must first believe it is has been misplaced or lost. A large number of Christians no longer believe God still speaks through people with prophetic gifts or through people who are passionately pursuing him. Therefore, the only place they believe God speaks is through Scripture. I happen to believe that God does speak primarily through Scripture, but I also believe he speaks present tense to people who are listening in other ways. I also believe if God speaks in a secondary manner apart from the Bible we should check what we hear to make sure it bears witness with his written Word. When God speaks in one of these methods it will never contradict what he has already said in Scripture.

To hear God speak we must learn to listen. One of the best ways to do this is to simply look at the ways in which God speaks. We have a record of the various ways God communicates in the Bible. Being aware of these will help us tune in to God’s wavelength and enable us to hear his voice.

When God speaks we call it revelation. He reveals who he is, what he is doing, or what he wants us to do. Revelation is God making something known that we did not know or could not know through our natural senses. Revelation comes in a host of different ways. People are different and they hear God communicate differently. Why? I don’t know, but God will communicate with you in way you can hear if you will learn to listen.

As I said before, God speaks primarily to all believers through his written Word. The Bible is God’s authoritative word to all people no matter where or when they lived. If you want to hear God speak—read the Bible. Learn the tenor of his voice sound and immerse yourself in the makeup of his will. Develop a sensitivity to the things that please him. This will help you hear him when he speaks to you through a secondary method.

Another way God spoke in the Bible is through a personal apearances. Sometimes it was in a vision or dream, but he also appeared in physical form. I believe those personal appearances in the Old Testament were made by the pre-incarnate Jesus. He did not have to appear—he could have sent angels—but he did come. If he appeared this way in the past, there is nothing in Scripture that says he can’t do it again if he wants to. Many Muslims in the Middle East are reporting visitations of Jesus, which are resulting in their turning to faith in Christ.

The Lord also sends messages by his angels. This is a common method he uses. The Greek meaning for the word angel means messenger.

God also speaks audibly. He did so throughout Scripture to individuals, groups, and even the nation of Israel at Mt. Sinai. He spoke to Moses, to Jesus (at his baptism, transfiguration, and before his crucifixion and others heard it), and to Paul. He has not suddenly gone silent. He can use this method if he chooses.

God can also speak audibly for your ears only. Samuel heard God speak, but Eli did not.

There is also the internal audible voice of God that you hear, not with your ear, but with your heart. Many of the prophets heard this as the word of God came to them.

Next blog we will look at some other ways God speaks.

The Lord of the Dance (Part 2 of 2)

Leave a reply

imagesIt blows my mind to think about the fact that God is extending his hand in search of a partner who will accept and step out on the ballroom floor with him in this relational dance of life. Likewise, it boggles my mind to image what style of dance we might be doing.

It’s O.K. to daydream—to imagine —and allow the right side of your brain to run a little wild here. God created the dance as a passionate expression of worship, love, and joy. It was humanity that perverted it into a sexual exploitation and manifestation of self. So relax a little here—we’re setting that aspect aside and allowing our minds to imagine what it would be like to dance with God—the Lover of our soul. That fantasy might become a genuine reality if we can somehow click off those Victorian religious do and don’t systems we have wrongly saddled ourselves with in an attempt to define holiness. (Holiness is growing in maturity—becoming more like Christ, not ceasing to be human). Instead of exploring what God thinks for ourselves, we often allow others to interpret it for us through their restrictive lenses and filters.

Someone asked whether I thought this dance might be a waltz, a tango, or a rumba? I thought about this long and hard, and finally arrived at this place—whatever dance you can envision participating with God in is likely the dance you would be willing to do. If we can’t see it through the eyes of faith in our imagination, then it is highly likely it will never become a reality.

Perhaps you can conceive an elegant waltz spinning around and around the floor with fluidity and grace. Perhaps it is the precision and the passion of a tango in rapid tempo that leaves you with a shortness of breath and a flushness of the face. Or, perhaps is the slow, rhythmic movement of the rumba. Each of these requires an intimate partnership and a graceful flow of two becoming one in purpose and step. Any of these dances could be a beautiful metaphor of what our relationship with Christ was designed to be (a bridegroom living life with his bride). What your spirit can conceive here pales in comparison with the depths of Christ’s love for you (just read the Song of Solomon).

Forget about the crowd surrounding you. Clear your mind for a moment of all the portraits you’ve allowed others to paint of God.  Step away from the negativity and step into that quiet place where it’s just you and Jesus. Take his hand, close your eyes, and allow his selfless love and grace to embrace you.

And then…dance.

The Forgiveness Factor (Part 3)

Leave a reply

We struggle with forgiveness because we really don’t understand it. We have be taught all kinds of things about forgiveness. Some of it was true, some were half-truths (which by the way are “whole” lies), and some of it was plain old bull (a Greek emphatic for “a bunch of worthless garbage”). Some of it was biblical, some it was psycho-babble, and some of it was nothing more than lies from the devil.

Perhaps you are being held hostage right now to a specific moment in your past—a person’s words or actions. Perhaps it was a deep disappointment that hurt, offended, wounded , or emotionally destroyed you. And…you’ve never dealt with it—with that infection that is hidden deep within you and affects you in ways no one knows but God. Perhaps you pushed it all so deep into your soul that your conscious memory can’t retrieve it, but the enemy is still destroying you with it. Perhaps it’s a pride issue or some misplaced code of honor. Perhaps for some of you it’s an unspeakable atrocity that was perpetrated against you and was beyond your control. Perhaps in the beginning whatever it was wasn’t a big deal, but now it has morphed into a major issue. Perhaps you think you need to forgive yourself or you’re still angry at God because you blame him for what happened. Whatever it is—it is killing you and you know it.

To truly understand forgiveness, we must first understand the anatomy of unforgiveness. We must dissect it and see how it works. Unforgiveness comes with causes and a deadly curse. Once we shine the light on the darkness of unforgiveness, the cost of forgiveness and the cure it brings to the spirit, soul, and body will be better understood and easier to grasp.

It is vital that you understand two simple things. First, all you need is faith to take this journey, and rest assured, forgiveness is a journey. It will take faith to face the past, but God will give it as you need it if you will turn to face it. He is faithful. He has all the strength you need and the desire of his heart is to heal you.

Secondly, you must surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He wants to lead some of you into places you may have forgotten. In doing so, he will allow you to make a choice to step out of the past and into your future. The Holy Spirit will do this gently and he will take as much time as is needed. He knows you far better than you think you know yourself. Trust him! He will walk with you. He will not embarrass you. He only wants to heal you.

Some of you are just hard-headed. You know what you need to do, but because of pride, honor, or the need to get even, you refuse to do it. If you continue to read these blogs, I promise the Holy Spirit will bring a deep sense of conviction not condemnation. Conviction is one of his works and it means there will be no doubt in your heart that your refusal to forgive is wrong. He will convince you and you will not be able to refute the truth he presents. He will show you the futility of what you are holding on to and call you to repentance. Then the choice will be yours. If you repent, he will bring you to the place where you can forgive and he will heal you.

The journey awaits but the path is perilous and tough. Hold God’s hand and he will make sure you reach the destination of forgiveness.