A Change of Seasons

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

This weekend I found myself driving all over the state visiting friends and worshiping Jesus (as usual). It all began when I drove up to Fort Collins from Colorado Springs to have lunch with Pastor David. We had a great time over Mexican food talking about what God has been doing in the city over the last few months. There are many groups all over the city who have a vision to see a move of the Holy Spirit, but it seems that they haven't discovered one another yet. After meeting with Pastor David, I met with John and Sharlene White. They really challenged me to continue to raise the standard of holiness and consecration to Jesus. They also challenged me in the area of hearing God's voice. Sharlane suggested that I ask God how much money I am to set as a goal for every month. Once I hear a number from the Lord, I should believe God for that amount. This is a difficult and new thing for me because I am used to just looking at what is practical and making my decisions based on what makes sense and what I need. As I was meeting with them, I asked them to pray about me living at their house for free. I am asking God that this would work out or that He would provide another free living situation.

After leaving Fort Collins, I drove to Boulder where I stayed the night at Sean Hart, Kevin Kelley, and Caleb Rapp's house. That night we got together at The Lighthouse (Christian community house in Boulder) to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. On the way there we saw a Jewish man walking down the street, with hat, beard and all. So we made friends with him and he invited us to come to his house where he was going to have a celebration. So we walked with him there and as we entered, he asked us to put on a kippah (head covering). Then he showed us how to blow a shofar and gave us a demonstration. He then explained that the different blasts are meant to represent a person crying, long blasts representing a wail, and shorter tones representing the breaths taken while crying. Really cool! Then we thanked the Jewish men there and went over to the Lighthouse.

The guys spent some time praying and then gathered in the basement to pray as a large group. Sean shared about the significance of the Feasts of the Lord and then began to pray. We were only going to stay there for a few minutes and then head up to the mountains to wait for the moon to appear and announce the New Year with the blowing of the shofar. There was a guitar there so I picked it up and began to strum lightly. Before long the Holy Spirit began to move in the room especially on one of the girls there who began to weep under the power of God. Many gathered around to minister to her and then the Lord released rejoicing over the whole room! Much freedom was experienced by all as we exalted Jesus! Finally, we went up to the mountains and I got too connect with Alysha Verville. She is an amazing sister who I love being around and talking with. It was such a great time looking over the city of Boulder and declaring the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Friday, September 10th, 2010

When I woke up at Sean, Kevin, and Caleb's house, I went downstairs to the Boulder House of Prayer. In their basement, they have a room dedicated to the Lord as a prayer room. As I sat in the room I sensed that the Lord is going to begin sending students out from this prayer room to the campus filled with the life and power of God to "cause trouble" and declare that "there is another King, One called Jesus." (see Acts 17:6-7) We came together and cried out to the Lord for souls to be saved northern Colorado but especially CU, for the gospel to spread rapidly and for Jesus to be glorified among all the students. It was a powerful time of prayer.

Then I left Boulder and drove to The Rock Church in Castle Rock. When I arrived, I had a short time of prayer and then helped set up for Joseph and Lynette's wedding all afternoon. Then we had the wedding rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. I so love the Thompson family, specifically Joseph, Katie, and Betsey. They each have a special place in my heart. After the dinner, Joseph, Gianni, Drew and I went to Dave and Busters where we played video games for a few hours and then Joseph and I crashed at his apartment for the night.

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

The day of Joseph's wedding. We woke up at 5:30am and went to the church and spent some quality time with God before going inside and getting ready. It was perfect for Joe and He loved having that time with Jesus before becoming one with Lynette. Then we went inside, got ready and prayed over Joseph. Then the wedding began. I got to walk down the aisle with Katie, which was a huge blessing because I'm used to walking down the aisle with girls that I just met a couple days before the wedding. Pastor Dan Yeakly did the wedding and he announced that there was going to be an anointing for restoration on this wedding. As we stood on the stage, the presence of God was so strong and during the wedding, tears came to my eyes multiple times. Some of the most powerful times were when they washed each others feet, the father's blessing, the vows and the charge that Pastor Dan gave Joseph and Lynette as well as the congregation. After the wedding we went to Katie's aunt Jan's house and relaxed and threw the Frisbee and football for a while.

Then Katie and I drove to Pastor Dan's house for Prepare the Way. As we gathered in the basement, the presence of the Lord came in an unusual way. We simply began to cry out to the Lord for more of His presence and power in our midst. Then Pastor Dan came over to me and began to prophesy over me. He said that there was going to be a release of power from my life and that he saw electricity coming from my hands. He said that the Lord is entrusting me with His power in a new way. He saw a trumpet being put to my lips meaning that it is time to proclaim with boldness what I see and what is coming, whether it is judgment or blessing. It was a powerful time, but I had no idea what was coming next. As we waited on the Lord, Sam began to pray for the fire of God and everyone in one voice lifted our voices for the fire of God. We were asking for the lost to be saved and brought into the Kingdom. Then I felt like the Holy Spirit wanted us to pray for one another to receive this fire and that it begins with us individually. So I went to Pastor Dan and submitted that to him and he agreed. As we waited for the right time, many other people prayed their hearts out to God. While all of this was going on, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the dream I had where Corey Russell was preaching and then we broke into small groups to discuss the message. Everyone in the group was distracted with lesser issues and I started to weep and interrupted them and cried out, "I just want them to know Jesus! I just want them to know Jesus!" And then the dream ended. I sensed more and more as time went on that I was supposed to share this dream with the group. I was beginning to sense the Lord's heart for the lost and dying. So, I shared the dream and as I was finishing, basically the dream became a reality. I began to weep uncontrollably and to cry out for the lost to know Jesus. I have never come under the burden of the Lord or felt His heart like that ever before in my life. I wept for about 10 minutes at a time and then it would subside and then another wave would come as I was overcome with the Lord's heart. While all of this was happening to me, I felt I could hear the voice of God so clearly. It was so powerful! Things began to make sense and I felt that this night was a birthing of the ministry that He has for me in Fort Collins. I felt that it was also a Song of Solomon 2 transition of seasons in my life. This is a new season where the Lord is asking me to arise, and come away with Him to the harvest and to leap upon the mountains. The intimacy in my life must produce fruit. Intimacy must produce children. There is a call to not be self-focused in my approach to God. This is really exciting and I feel like the Lord is fulfilling my heart's desire that I have been crying out for for a long time. Then I shared this message with the group and submitted it to Pastor Dan. I got so rocked and felt like I really touched the heart of God, or He touched me with the fear of the Lord. Before I left that night, Pastor Dan told me that he knew something was going to happen with me because the Lord told him that there was a reason I was coming to Prepare the Way that night. Then he blessed me with $20 to by a Chipotle burrito. It is a great honor to know Pastor Dan and have an encounter with Jesus like that. Praise God! He is good and merciful.

Then I drove home to the Springs. Nothing is the same as it was. Everything is new. It's a new season!

San Francisco: A Trip to Remember

Last week I was able to visit YWAM San Francisco for 2 days and 2 nights for my Discipleship Training School graduation ceremony. I was not planning on going until about a month ago when I was talking to Steve Binnquist on the phone and knew that I had to go. I told Steve to keep it a secret from the rest of the students to that I could surprise them. So I called Christ Center Community Church and asked them how much money was in my account to travel. There was more than enough so I bought my ticket. I talked with John Henry about the time that I would be gone and he said that we could work around my schedule for this trip. Everything was working out great!

Thursday, February 25th finally came and I got on a plane from Madison, a detour in Minneapolis, Minnesota and then to San Francisco, California. On the 4 hour flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco, I sat next to Yeong In, a girl from South Korea who was on a 5 day vacation to SF. She was doing an internship at Disney in Orlando, Florida. It was good to talk with her and tell her some of the things that she needed to see and experience in SF. When the plane landed and we turned our phones back on, Yeong In got a text message from her friend who was supposed to catch a plane from New York to SF, but he missed his plane. Because of that, she didn't have a ride from the airport to her hotel. So I offered to give her a ride. She was so thankful and amazed that I would offer. When we arrived at the airport, Kevin Tsui and Steve picked us up in the van and gave me great big hugs! It was so good to see my friends that I had grown so close to for three months last fall.

On the way to the base we stopped by In-n-Out to get some food. Steve offered to pay for the food but Yeong In insisted on paying for her burger. She was so insistent that she tried to put money in my hand! I told her that we weren't going to receive her money and we wanted to bless her. So after she realized that we weren't going to take the money, suddenly she started saying that she was going to go to church! She knew that I was a Christian but I didn't push anything on her, but I just loved her. So the Holy Spirit must have been working on her heart and calling her name. Then we dropped her off at her hotel, which was just 4 blocks away from the base! When she got out of the van, I felt like we should pray for her. So Kevin and I laid our hands on her and blessed her and asked God to reveal Himself to her more. After we prayed, I got her email address and she said that this was the luckiest day of her life! She was so overwhelmed by kindness! Praise God for divine appointments where people can experience His love through our lives.

Finally we arrived at the base. 357 Ellis St. I didn't know how I was going to surprise everyone so I was just going to wing it. Becky ran out and gave me a great big hug! It was so good to see her! Then I went inside and found out that everyone was upstairs packing and getting ready to leave in the next few days. I walked to the top of the stairs and Alissa happened to be standing there. She started screaming when she saw me and gave me a huge Alissa hug! That brought everyone out into the hallway and I gave a bunch of hugs! Katie and Danielle were the only ones that weren't there, so Kevin went downstairs to get them. They were both surprised but Danielle freaked out more than anyone else! It was so great!

So I got to catch up with almost everyone and then we went to get ready for the graduation ceremony. Before we were done with the briefing, they sat me in the middle of the circle and gave me encouraging words. As people were writing, Becky wrote them all down for me. I specifically remember two of the words that rang true to me. One was that I was a general and the other was the word apostle. I was so encouraged by my friends! (On coming back to Madison, I realized that I lost the list of words that Becky wrote down!)

Then the time came after we ate dinner with the whole YWAM community and some of the student's families. I led us in worship. We broke open the heavens with This is Our God, Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble, and Light Up the World. Then we heard stories of the whole DTS experience from lecture phase to the three different outreach phases. God used and marked this Fall DTS with a pioneering spirit because everything they did on outreach was a first for a YWAM SF team. God is so good!

After the ceremony, we were celebrating with dessert, taking pictures, and talking with each other, when Myk invited me to come into the kitchen to pray with a few other people. So we went into the kitchen and began to share about what we needed prayer for. As we shared, more and more people kept joining us! So we began to pray and there was such a faith and confidence in God and an excitement about what He was doing and going to do! As we prayed the Holy Spirit began to minister to those we were praying for with prophetic words and releasing people from fear and unbelief. It was so good. Then we began praying for Myk's knees that were sore and hurting from playing basketball. His knees were completely healed! Then we prayed for Alissa's jaw and I watched it move into place and she could touch her front teeth together! It was so crazy! Also, Chauncey's leg grew out and all the pain in Lindsay's ankle was gone! The glory was so strong at one point that everyone began to laugh and feel the presence of God! Hallelujah! Come On! That was the best graduation gift we could have asked for.

Then on Friday, we celebrated Katie's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory. It was so much fun! While we were there, Myk got a call from his mom who told him that his green card finally arrived! Welcome to America, Myk! Another amazing gift from God. Then we had a great time dropping Chauncey and Becky off at the airport which turned into a 3 hour trip around the bay area! That night we went to a coffee shop to hang out and I got to talk with Dan a little bit. I missed Dan so much, and realized that I wasn't going to get to hang out with him anymore that I almost cried when I got out of his car! After that, Steve, Kevin, Michael and I had an incredible conversation for about 2 hours. Guess what it was about! Yeah, that's right! Jesus! Only Jesus!

Saturday was my last day there and it was so good to hang with Erwin and Myk at Philz coffee in the morning. Then Stef, Jess, Steve, Kevin, Myk and I took a last walk around the Tenderloin and talked about how good God is. It was so good to think about all of our great memories in San Francisco. Then Steve, Jess, and Stef dropped Kevin and I off at the airport and we all said "See you later!" I love you all!

Apostles, Sons and Prophetic Dreams

Yesterday was quite a day! We met with Steve Springer who runs The Furnace, a house of prayer in Madison. First we met for a prayer meeting with Steve and three other men. As we were praying Hosea 6:1-2 for the church in Madison to experience the resurrection power of Christ, a specific verse kept running through my mind. It was the one that something like, "to tear down, destroy, build up and to plant." I knew it was in the beginning of Jeremiah somewhere but I couldnt find it. So I looked it up online from my phone. It's Jeremiah 1:10, "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." I kept thinking that it was a life verse, but I couldn't tell what God was trying to show me so I looked at the cross reference of that verse and it led me to Jeremiah 18 which talks about the Potter and how God will bring judgment or mercy to a nation depending on how the people respond. So we finished praying and then we started talking with Steve.

I soon found out that Steve is an apostolic and prophetic forerunner who is passionate about reaching the city of Madison with the gospel. Through The Furnace they have an internship with 42 people called Warring Worshipers. They do Treasure Hunts in the city and intercession on a daily basis about 20 hours a week.

Steve then began to share a vision that the Lord gave him a few years back. He saw himself on a road that was well traveled and was moving forward on it. Then he came to a fork where the road began to veer off to the left. At that moment, Steve heard the Lord say, "Which way do you want to go?" Steve answered that he wanted to go to the right, but it was like a jungle with no path and was completely blocked. So the Lord asked again and Steve answered again that he wanted to go to the right. Then suddenly a machete type sword appeared in Steve's hand and the Lord spoke to him Jeremiah 1:10! This is his life verse to this day. So he began to chop his way through the trees and branches and began to make a path. He looked back and discovered that he was making a way for others to come through. He looked down and realized that there was a path here once before long ago that no one knew about. So he kept chopping. The he came to a very large tree that was in front of the path. On it were many white blossoms and as soon as he got close to it, the blossoms turned into almonds and dropped to the ground and sprouted more trees instantly! This is what Jeremiah saw in chapter 1 verse 11-12. This was indicating the very quick multiplication and fruitfulness of his path that he was paving.

This vision was very, very similar to words that I have received in the past. I was totally blown away because I heard God speaking to me and confirming who I am and what He has called me to do. The whole time I was in The Furnace I felt the spirit of prophecy in that place and that was confirmed when Steve began prophesying over all of us. He spoke over me that I am like Samson before his sin and that I was a Nazarite. There is a Nazarite consecration that is over my life and he also spoke that God is giving me keys to the kingdom but also other keys. He mentioned Isaiah 22:22 that talks about Jesus opening doors that no one can shut and shutting doors that no one can open. He said that God wanted to use me as a voice and that I need to remember words that have been spoken over me from the past.

I believe that Steve Springer is going to be a big influence in my life and I can see myself running a house of prayer that functions in a similar way to The Furnace. Thank you Jesus for showing me what an apostolic ministry looks like.

Then last night I had a dream. I was walking up a hill toward Don Burkart's house and i ran into him on the street. He was prayer walking his neighborhood. I joined him and then another older guy appeared and was praying with us. He was talking about some older apolostic guy that they both knew but I didnt. Don asked me if he had shown me the eagle, and i said yes. Then we started to walk to different houses, but as we walked it turned into a church and we were prayer walking this church. I knew it was Don's church and we went to different rooms to pray. There were 2 or 3 girls there with us as well. At one point I got a word from the Lord. "Act like it's now." I told Don the word and he received it and we kept praying. Then as we went to another room, the Holy Spirit came on me in a powerful way and I began to weep and that word came even more strongly "Act like it's now!" I started talking about what the word meant. I said that we shouldn't wait till revival comes to start living different. Act like revival is already here. Do what you would be doing if revival were happening now. The things you would be doing are not only the end but they are the means to the end as well. So i gave that word to him again. And he couldnt share it with the people we were with right away, because we were in front of an easel with paper on it and Don was writing about budgets and numbers. Then I woke up.

It was 4:45 in the morning of February 24 and I wrote down the dream and sent it to Don right away. Then I tried to go back to sleep, but the Lord was speaking to me in a powerful way. He started by telling me that I am His son and that it was time that I began to act like a son. I realized that I haven't been acting like I belong to God or that I belong in His house. I have been striving and trying to earn God's love by not sinning. The Lord was speaking to me about how I've been adopted and that was His intention from the beginning of time. He chose me! I can now call Him Father. I believe that each one of these things the Lord was speaking are like a well of knowledge and will take my whole lifetime to unpack. He gave me some new understanding of the parable of the Prodigal Son, which is really the story of the Loving Father. I saw for the first time that I was like that prodigal. I had been more interested in God's resources and what He could give me than I was in my Father Himself! What a big mistake i have been living in. I realized that the greatest reward really is God Himself. I want to live my life in such a way that I am pursuing my Father and living in His house. But I don't want to be like the older brother who was working for God but didn't take advantage of the freedom and resources that were his all along. I realized that one interpretation of the story is that the younger prodigal son is representative of the Gentile church and the older brother is Israel. Israel has not joined in the celebration that has been available to her this whole time, but the wayward Gentile church is coming with a broken heart to provoke her to jealousy. I think there is a lot more to work out with this concept but the idea is that the Father wants to take me into His house and put a ring on my finger and put a crown on my head and put a clean robe on my dirty body and throw a party! The Father is in a good mood and He loves having sons and daughters who receive His love and love Him in return. The Father reminded me that in order to be a father, you have to know how to be a son. God, teach me how to be a son, so that I can grow into who you want me to be, a father to a generation. Amen

July 19th - 26th

The last week has been crazy! God is so good! It all started on Sunday, July 19th, 2009 at the S.P.I.K.E. meeting at Jean Stephenson’s house in Elizabeth, Colorado. There I had the chance to hear Dave Powers speak and had the chance to meet him. He is legit! He is the guy who is behind Heavenfest. I had wanted to meet him for a while and then we met and he invited me to go to coffee with him! Really cool! The whole purpose of Heavenfest is to be a catalyst for revival in Northern Colorado!

Then I drove down to Boulder for the last Promise Keepers prayer meeting at Cornerstone Church on July21st, 2009. I walked in a little late and stood in the back. Right when I walked in, I felt like I needed to dance. I couldn’t hold still! Even when everyone else was sitting down I was pacing in the back. So we started to pray for the healing of the divide between men and women, rich and poor, and between the generations. It was a powerful time. Abby Corrigan led the first section about the divide between men and women. About 10 people prayed. Then, Lynne Hart led the second section about the divide between rich and poor. I got a word about the church from Revelation 3 and 1 Corinthians 11. We are wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked. Spiritually speaking, some churches get drunk while others remain hungry. We need a revolution in the western church. God is going to change the expression of Christianity in one generation!

After the meeting we went to the International House of Pancakes where I was so full of the joy of the Lord that I couldn’t stop laughing. It was great! I got to hang out with my boulder friends and have a great time! Then we went back to the Annex House where we were hanging out and started playing some worship. David Lewin suggested that we share what we were doing on the streets. It was David and Emily Lewin, Ben Anderson, Sara McDaniel and me. So we loaded up our guitars and djimbe’s and went to Pearl Street! We started worshiping and asking the Holy Spirit to move. There was a hippie guy that hung out with us the whole time and was singing his own songs some of the time. I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to talk with Him and we got in a couple of good conversations. At one point, he wanted to practice his Tao-ist healing technique on me. My first thought was absolutely not! But then I remembered that greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. So I said, “You can do your thing on me if I can do my thing on you!” He said ok and began to feel for my pulse. He asked me a couple of questions about health problems and my answer was no to all of them. Then it was my turn! I had him stand up and hold out his hands. Then I prayed that the Holy Spirit would manifest Himself in a real way to him and prove that He is real. When I finished praying he said, “Blessed be the peacemaker.” I asked him if he felt anything and he said no. Then it hit me! He felt the peace of God and that is why he said blessed is the peacemaker! He felt the Peacemaker! So I explained that to him and he responded to everything with “possibly!” He didn’t want to admit it! So then we got into another conversation about Jesus and it started to get a little heated but i didn’t want to argue so I kept it from going that way. While this was happening, another man came up and asked us if we had a song for his situation. It was his birthday and one of his friends died. David started to sing an IHOP song about healing. He sat down on one of the benches and started to cry. God was ministering to Him! Afterward he thanked us and went on his way. Overall it was in incredible night! So much fun. So we got back to the Annex House a little after 3am. I spent the night there that night/morning.

The next day I spent in boulder and had an incredible time hanging out with Ben Anderson and Amy Vasquez. Then I drove back to the Fort to hang out with Dustin and Denise Barrington. That was a good time praying and talking about fund raising.

Then the next day, Thursday, I went down to Denver and met Kristina at starbucks. Then I went to lunch with April and Justin. We went to Chipotle and saw Dave Powers there! It was crazy! We talked with him a little bit and then I went back to the Fort. Then i drove back down to Brighton to a Heavenfest prayer meeting.

The Lord then led me to fast for 3 days starting on Friday, July 24. I did a juice fast and talked on fasting that night at Reset. Then on Saturday I went to Resurrection Fellowship’s Saturday night service. During the releasing of the words of knowledge, the woman on stage, Pastor Diane, called me out. She pointed me out as the young man in the black shirt. She went on to say how she saw an open door of ministry for me soon and that the favor of the Lord was all over me. It blew me away! At Rez they never call out individuals! Wow! God you really like me! You really have awesome plans for me!

Then the next morning on July 26th I led worship at C4 and it was a powerful time giving glory to the lover of our souls. Then later that afternoon, we did a life siege at planned parenthood standing with red tape on our mouths with LIFE written on it, a silent prayer meeting for the unborn. Then we were invited to meet with some Campus Crusade people who are in town for their US National Conference. We met with a man named Milt Monell. He happened to be the Director of the Great Commission Global Prayer Movement! He told us some amazing stories of the efficacy of prayer and encouraged us to keep praying and seeking Jesus. He also encouraged us to listen to the Holy Spirit by waking up every morning and asking God to tune our ears to His voice. He said, “Always obey the urge to pray.” He talked about the need for 24/7 prayer out of Isaiah 25 and the breakthrough that worship brings in the darkness! Milt also talked about how the Lord told him that there were 3 things at stake at this time in history: 1. The unity of the body of Christ. 2. The possession of the land. 3. The Glory of the Lord. He prayed that we would become “fire-seeds” of revival wherever we go. It was a powerful time of prayer and impartation!

Thank you Jesus for an incredible week! It truly is worth seeking Him every time!

It's Time to Pray!

US Billboards Attack Prayer: Pete Greig Responds

Published: July 7th, 2009

Prayer is pointless! At least, according to a massive billboard campaign launched on 1st July in five American States.

Hot on the heals of the recent atheist bus campaign in London, these new billboards, sponsored by the American Humanist Association, read: “WANT A BETTER WORLD? Prayer Not Required!” and they’re being erected this month in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Idaho, and Arizona (where churches prayed continually throughout last year). But before we pack up our 24-7 Prayer Rooms, shut down this site and wave goodbye to thousands of years of Judaeo-Christian conviction, let’s just think about this claim a little…

In America the vast majority of people pray – even on the West Coast where, according to Gallup, 25% of the adult population is now either atheist or agnostic. Meanwhile in supposedly secular Europe, 60% of people pray regularly and in London that figure rises to a whopping 73%. These statistics alone eloquently challenge the premise that prayer is a waste of time.

In my book God on Mute, I describe an old Russian Orthodox believer, called Anatoly Emmanuilovich, who was persecuted all his life by the Secret Police. In a letter from prison he testified that: ‘The greatest miracle of all is prayer. I have only to turn my thoughts to God and I suddenly feel a strength which bursts into my soul, into my entire being…. It is not psychotherapy, for where would I, an insignificant, tired old man, get this strength which renews and saves me? It comes from without and there is no force on earth that can even understand it.’

When I read testimonies like this one, I wonder what is achieved by attacking something as wonderful as prayer. Why would anyone spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to convert people to the terrible news that we are merely highly evolved animals marooned on a giant rock, spinning meaninglessly in space, doomed to a purposeless existence, without moral consequence and without recourse to any higher power, meaning or hope? Why didn’t they just throw a massive party, or buy millions of mosquito nets for Africa, or install a wall of plasma televisions at every morgue in the country?

The Russian novelist Dostoevsky argued that, ‘without God there is no morality’. Think about it! If there’s no God, there’s no such thing as the ‘better world’ to which the billboard aspires. In purely evolutionary terms, a serial killer is merely proving his supremacy over weaker individuals and asserting his right to dominate the gene pool. And even if there was meaning and morality in a godless universe, unless humanism can change hearts, restore marriages, break addictions, heal painful memories, rewire motivations, erase guilt, inspire great art, and ignite vision the way that Jesus Christ can, its utopian ambitions are naïve to put it mildly.

When it comes to social transformation, atheism’s track record isn’t good. In fact it’s downright terrible. In Cambodia, the atheist dictator Pol Pot killed more than a million of his own people in four years. In Russia, Joseph Stalin was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions – yet he failed entirely to make things better. Meanwhile, Jesus who never hurt anyone and who centered his whole life in prayer, instructing his followers to ‘always pray and not give up’ (Luke 18:1), has changed billions of lives down thousands of years… unquestionably for the better.

As we celebrate the holidays, let’s make the most of moments of leisure to enjoy God’s presence and to re-align ourselves with his plan for a better world. Whether it’s expressed in whispered words of gratitude lying on a sun lounger, or singing our hearts out in a 24-7 Prayer Room, let’s continue to pray like it all depends on God and live like it all depends on us. Why? Because YES we want a better world but NO we can’t wish it into being, and we can’t think it into being, and we can’t rebrand it into being, and we certainly can’t work it up by trying our hardest to be nicer little ‘humanisms’! The better world we long for cannot be found in the mirror. That’s why we ask Jesus Christ to displace our selfishness and sadness with his unparalleled grace and joy.

The world got a little better when the Roman Empire ended its ritual of human sacrifice, an event that can be traced back to a 24-7 Prayer Room in Jerusalem in AD33. The world got a little better with the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, an event that can be traced back to a 24-7 Prayer Room in South-East Germany in 1727. The world also got a little better with the rise of the American Civil Rights Movement, a great consensus that can be traced back to a 24-7 Prayer Room in Azusa Street, Los Angeles in 1906. Yes we want a better world, and yes, that’s why we pray!

It has been true for millennia that the laboratory for all positive social transformation and spiritual formation has always been the place of persevering prayer. One day, according to our scriptures, even members of the American Humanist Association will join us in confessing Christ, acknowledging that the hinge of history is the bended knee.

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Pete Greig is a founding champion of the 24-7 movement and Director of Prayer for Holy Trinity Brompton, in London. He and his family live in Guildford, England, where they are actively engaged with establishing a new missional (‘Boiler Room’) community. Pete’s books include 'Red Moon Rising', 'The Vision and The Vow' and 'God on Mute'.

Pro-LIFE Killing?

On Sunday, May 31st, Abortion Doctor George Tiller was murdered in his own church as he was ushering. As a part of the pro-life movement, I believe that we need to respond to this tragedy in line with God's heart.

I don't think it is an accident that God has led some of us in Fort Collins to begin to stand for LIFE on the last Sunday of every month for the summer, and the day we started, George tiller was murdered. God is communicating that we need to stand for LIFE in LOVE.

Matt Locket, director of Bound4LIFe, sent an email that gives us some direction and encouragement for this kairos moment.

"My heart is deeply grieved by the murder of late-term abortion provider George Tiller on Sunday. My prayers go out to the Tiller family for this tragic loss of life.

I AM PRO-LIFE.

Therefore, I believe that all human life is sacred, unique and precious to God. When the Lord called me directly into the pro-life movement, He first established that my posture was to be rooted and grounded in the prayer movement. As we all process this horrendous event even as the debate heats up concerning the next Supreme Court nominee and tax-paid-for abortion in health care reform I'd like to offer some encouraging words.

We are not easily reduced to prayer. We who grope toward praying today are like a city gutted by fire. The struggle against injustice has exacted from us an awful cost. In a similar period with similar struggles, Camus wrote, "There is merely bad luck in not being loved; there is tragedy in not loving. All of us, today, are dying of this tragedy. For violence and hatred dry up the heart itself; the long fight for justice exhausts the love that nevertheless gave birth to it..."

Unprotected by prayer, our social activism runs the danger of becoming self-justifying good works, as our inner resources atrophy, the wells of love run dry, and we are slowly changed into the likeness of the Beast.

Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers, p. 297-298

By "changed into the likeness of the Beast" he means to be transformed into the very thing that you set out to abolish or counteract. In the case of the pro-life movement, it is imperative that we maintain an approach that grows out of the place of prayer, love and compassion. The act of abortion is so completely and unredeemably violent that it can only be opposed in the "opposite spirit." We cannot and will not respond to violence with more violence. Only the continual atmosphere of prayer and intimacy with the Lord can keep our hearts tender in the face of injustice.

Nearly every pro-life leader has been swift to publicly denounce this heinous act perpetrated by a reportedly disturbed individual. My hope is that the media will clearly report the fact that this DOES NOT reflect the overwhelming majority of people in the pro-life movement. I believe it is the strategy of hell to frighten and derail the movement even as the polls have recently demonstrated that America is increasingly embracing a culture of life. I have a great concern that this will be used by the pro-abortion agenda and related political leaders to stifle pro-life voices when they are needed most.

Right now we are winning the debate."

Praying for a culture of life in America,

Matt Lockett
Bound4LIFE Director

Purity Covenant

Today, I am renewing my commitment to the Purity Covenant. I recommend this to everyone, regardless if they are struggling with sexual immorality or not.

SEVEN PERSONAL COMMITMENTS BEFORE THE LORD

16 Confess your trespasses to one another (to a trusted friend) …that you may be healed. (Jas. 5:16)

A. Commitment #1: I commit to refuse to speak in a way that promotes or jokes about immorality. If I do speak in this way, I will confess to those I spoke to that my words were inappropriate.

B. Commitment #2: I commit to wear modest clothing that in no way promotes sensuality by being too revealing (too tight, too short, etc.). If I do, I will confess it to my trusted friend.

C. Commitment #3: I commit to confess to the same friend each time I view pornography or have sexual contact with someone (outside my marriage). I commit to register with accountability software.

D. Commitment #4: I commit to hold all confessions of my friend’s failure in strict confidentiality. If I do speak it to another, I commit to confess it to my friend (who confessed their sin to me).

E. Commitment #5: If I “repeatedly” stumble in immorality, I will confess to the leadership and then accept the boundaries and practical steps they give me to pursue my emotional healing.

F. Commitment #6: I commit to share with the leadership if my friend “repeatedly” stumbles in immorality. I will first tell my friend before sharing with a leader to convince him to go with me. I refuse “unsanctified mercy” that allows sin to increase in others. It is “false love” that is based on a man-pleasing spirit and self-promotion (wanting to be seen as more merciful than others).

15 If your brother sins…tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 If he will not hear, take with you one or two more… (Mt. 18:15-16)

G. Commitment #7 (for leaders): I commit to follow through on the process of bringing those who “continue” in sin to the appropriate discipline and then to seek their healing and restoration.

20 Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all… (1 Tim. 5:20, NAS)

1 If a man is overtaken in any trespass…restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness… (Gal. 6:1)

H. We will not publicly expose anyone’s sin if they will repent (discontinue the sinful behavior). There are many levels of discipline that do not require public exposure of one’s sin (Prov. 17:9).

8 Above all things have fervent love…for love will cover a multitude of sins. (1 Pet. 4:8)

By the grace of God, I will live according to these commitments. I desire to be someone who sees God. Jesus said that the only ones who will see God are those who are pure in heart. (Matt. 5:8) I commit to set before my eyes no vile thing. (Ps. 101:3) I commit not to look upon a woman lustfully. (Job 31:1)