Daily Guidance

There are those who believe the Bible is our ONLY source of hearing from God. Now without going into a long diatribe, let it suffice to say I believe the Bible is ONE source, albeit the primary source. But there are other ways God speaks to his people today. God did NOT allow the Bible to be cannonized and then remove his other ways of communication, expecting us to limp along from there on out on only one resource of understanding what God desires for us.

The case I usually point to in this discussion is that of "the call" people receive to "go into" full time ministry (as if there is only one call into one kind of lifetime service!). Those who feel God has called them specifically to be pastors, officers, etc., had to "hear" from somewhere. If one feels God has called them (to whatever kind of service), they obviously believe God has in some way communicated to them his desire. I have sensed this call and yet I have never found directly in scripture the words: "You, Doug Burr are to become an officer in TSA."

However, God DID speak to my spirit directly and communicate this desire for my life. In fact, I was quite taken back by his "intrusion" on my thoughts when he did!

I was sitting in a worship service at a young adult retreat in New Jersey. A Major Joe DeMichael was speaking (and at that time, I wasn't too fond of this guy, but have since grown to love and admire him). Somewhere during his sermon, I heard a distinct voice "speak" in my mind. The words were my thoughts, but it was NOT me directing them. I began to have a conversation in my head (yeah- I know- proof of my schizophrenia). Actually argument might be a better term.

God said: "I want you to become a TSA officer."

I said: "Huh? What?" (I didn't know what was happening and I couldn't believe it anyway).

God repeated his directive.

I repeated my ignorance.

But God was patient with me. And I finally began to converse with Him.

DB: "Uh, God, you MUST have gotten a wrong number. Shouldn't you be talking to that guy over there?"

YHWH: "I know you and I am not mistaken. I have a plan for your life. Follow me."

DB: "O come on! I want to be a musician! I've got plans!"

YHWH: "I know the plans I have for you . . ."

We went on like that for some time until I realized what was happening. God- GOD! was talking with me! How could I ignore Him or tell him "NO, I won't do what you want?"

So I said: "Okay. I'll do it. But I'm not about to spend my life doing something I don't want to do. Before I go to training, you have to bring about a change of heart so that I actually WANT to be an officer."

In the next year, He did. And I have been listening and following God since. Right now, I can honestly say there is nothing I would rather be doing than officership and God DID have a wonderful plan for my life. I'm truly glad I followed HIS plan and not my own. Who knows how badly I would have screwed up my life by now?!

So there's one instance of God speaking. I believe God speaks like that daily (moment by moment) to those who listen for his voice. That's all it takes- listening. You don't even have to be a Christian to hear God's voice, because how would you ever become one, if you didn't first hear God calling you into salvation?

Andrew Murray in his book, Waiting on God, says:

"With every step we need and may have
a heavenly guidance."

Want biblical proof?

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

And the cool part is this is only one of MANY ways God chooses to speak directly to us today! And I don't mean in generalities. I mean God speaks to US specifically about my daily choices and circumstances. God speaks to me. God speaks to you.

Are you listening?

Waiting on God

I'm reading the book "Waiting on God" by Andrew Murray. Immediately as I started to read, I was drawn into the depths of what it means to wait on God. I don't think I'll figure it all out any time soon!

I have a sneaking suspicion that in today's world, we have no clue what it means to wait. This is, after all, the day of instant gratification. "Wait?" What's that?

Wait is an interesting word. The more you think about it, the more meaning seeps to the surface to explore. Since I'm trying to grasp as much as I can on waiting, I began exploring the word. As I looked into the good ol' American Heritage Dictionary, I found this:

- - - - - -
wait
1a. To remain or rest in expectation. b. To tarry until another catches up.
2. To remain or be in readiness.
3. To remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed.
4. To work as a waiter or waitress.

1. To remain or stay in expectation of; await.
2. Informal. To delay (a meal or an event); postpone.
3. To be a waiter or waitress at.

1. The act of waiting or the time spent waiting.
2. Chiefly British. a. One of a group of musicians employed, usually by a city, to play in parades or public ceremonies. b. One of a group of musicians or carolers who perform in the streets at Christmastime.

wait on or wait upon.
1. To serve the needs of; be in attendance on.
2. To make a formal call on; visit.
3. To follow as a result; depend on.
4. To await. wait out. To delay until the termination of.

wait up.
1. To postpone going to bed in anticipation of something or someone.
2. Informal. To stop or pause so that another can catch up.
- - - - - -

There's a lot in there to work on (maybe even the British musicians part)! But here's what comes to mind first:

We tend to think of spiritual things as most important; other things less so (it seems we're back to the "sacred/secular" debate). Now I don't want anyone to think I'm saying spiritual matters are not important- I just wonder if God doesn't see the difference. To God, all things are important.

But because of our anxiousness to get what we want and move on, we take little joy in the little things. Or the time it takes to get to our desired goal(s). It seems to me that the time waiting on God to lead you to do something (you're dying to do NOW), is hugely important in the overall scheme of things.

My brother speaks of the meandering puppy who, once free from his leash, flits about from this place to that. No worries- just going where the "wind" and his steps take him. He's not concerned about being late for his next meeting, what he's going to accomplish in life, or what his next appointment will be.

Could we ever wait on God with that frame of mind?

Remember, God is more concerned with WHO you are than WHAT you do (Wednesday, August 09, 2006 A Spiritual Equation and Saturday, August 12, 2006 More on BE Over DO).

Wouldn't it be something to go sit alone with God and not take any agendas with you? No requests, no words except, "God, I'm here for you. Just to be with you and wait for/on you. It's your time."

I challenge you to try it.

Oh and click on the picture above, scroll down the page a bit and find an interesting new device called the "waiting light." Maybe we'll find a version of this popping up in Christian book stores soon- the "Waiting on God" light.

Fear Factor

Scene One: Central New Jersey, a quiet little suburb of Red Bank near the East coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Fade slowly in:

I was sitting in my living room reading. It was early evening and my family was moving around the house doing their respective routines like homework, watching TV and washing clothes. It was a typical evening in the Burr home.

I don't remember what I was reading, except that it was spiritual in nature. Probably something by Peter Wagner, as I have read almost everything he has written! Anyway, I was comfortable, I was enjoying a good book and I was in a fine mood.

Out of the blue, God called for my attention. I was so totally drawn away from my reading, I closed my eyes to avoid any unnecessary distractions. I wanted to be open to what God had to say to me. I listened carefully.

I began to well up with a sense of the spiritual realm around me. I was aware that angels were all around, but it wasn't like they were around me specifically- they were just everywhere. Moving around, watching, protecting, whatever else angels do.

I perceived God wanted me to go outside. It was a cold night and the wind was blowing a bit, so I put on a coat and stepped out into the frosty air.

"Well, I'm outside, what do you want me to do?" I asked God.

I soon knew I was to pray for the people in the houses that surrounded ours. I started with the house right across the street and made a full circle to the right until I was back to the first home again. We lived almost at the end of the street, so there were six houses, one being at the very end of our three block long street. Part of my prayer was to request that God station angels at these homes. I prayed that these angels would guard and protect these homes and the people who lived in each.

When I finished with these six neighbors, I looked up the street. That's when I knew I should continue, so I moved off my lawn and onto the pavement. Walking down the middle of the road, I eventually went all the way to the other end, stopping momentarily to pray at each home and asking God to position angels at each location. I asked for a legion of angels at both the Police station and a ladies league building next to it.

When I reached the other end of the street, I just understood I was finished with my assignment. I had no clue what it was all about, but I did what was asked of me. So I turned and began my short walk back home, praising God and rejoicing with the angels that were now stationed all up and down the street where I lived. I went back into my living room, picked up my book and continued reading from right where I left off.

"Interesting," I thought, but had no idea what it was all about.

Scene Change: Next evening, same setting, but it's later. It's dark out, everyone else is in bed.

This night as I'm reading, I begin to feel afraid. We all get those weird "alone in the dark" sensations, but this was completely different. I tried to ignore it, but it was growing stronger. Before long, I was really frightened. Of what, I didn't know. All I did know was that moment by moment, I was becoming more terrified than I could ever remember.

It got so bad that I put my book down and started praying. I closed my eyes tightly and prayed for dear life. Nothing happened except that my fear grew greater. After some time of this, I realized my hands were stiff. I then noticed that I hadn't moved a muscle for a long time. I was frozen in place; I was "scared stiff!"

I wanted to open my eyes, but was afraid to do so. I imagined all kinds of evil beings hiding in the dark outside my living room window, peeking from behind furniture, ducking out of sight in the kitchen, creeping down the stairs, crawling up the chair I was sitting in. In short, I didn't know what to do! I could hardly even pray and my fear was getting worse by the second. I sensed evil all around me and it was out to get me.

I have no clue how long I sat there transfixed in my seat, but I finally got up the courage to drag myself out of the chair and into the kitchen. You have no idea how hard that was! I grabbed the phone off the hook, punched the speed dial to my pastor (my brother) and slid down the wall to hide beside the counter on the floor as low as I could get. I closed and locked the basement door and turned on every light, while I avoided looking out the window or into the other room.

"Howie- 9-1-1!" I cried, as I filled him in on my situation. I knew I needed prayer support, so I was glad when he began to give it. But nothing happened; I continued to get worse. He was praying alright, but covering everything under the sun- sort of like wide spread buck-shot- hitting everything, but not doing much damage to anything in the process.

We talked a moment and together decided we needed to be more specific. I was afraid, so Howie said we should pray against the spirit of fear. "Do it," I said. "I'm not going to be much help in my present state of mind." I remember he prayed that God would send His angels to help us in this fight.

As he prayed specifically now, my mind began to clear a bit. Suddenly, I understood we were praying against "the Strongman of Center Street" (the street where we lived). When I told Howie that, he began to pray even more specifically using that name I was given.

Then I realized the Strongman of Center Street was not fear. Fear was much more powerful than he and seemed to be coming in as if called alongside the Strongman to help him intimidate me- or worse.

When I told Howie this, he began to pray that people in Fear's area of responsibility would begin hearing and understanding the Gospel. That they would start accepting Jesus as their savior and overthrow the enemy's hold on their lives. Now we were getting somewhere! I could pray again and we continued to pray that people would come to the Lord in droves and Fear would be caught with his pants down, so to speak. We envisioned Fear away on a pleasure trip while those under his control were leaving the enemy's camp and turning to Jesus. I imagined people in bars, just getting up and leaving, sensing there was more to life. We could almost see "the Boss" coming in and screaming red-faced: "What is happening here?! Where is Fear?!"

Needless to say, Fear dropped everything he was doing with me and ran away so fast, it must have made the Strongman of Center Street dizzy! We took advantage of his stupor and ousted him from his assignment on Center Street.

Right then it was if a light switch was flipped. I was no longer afraid. Fear did not leave slowly, little by little, as it had come. It was instantaneous! We had finally hit the nail on the head.

I stood up confidently and looked through the window. I was not afraid. I opened the basement door and gazed down into the dark. Nothing. Things that moments before had unnerved me, held terror no more!

It was about then I remembered what had happened the night before. God had me station angels all up and down my street. Every house had at least one standing guard and there were two legions watching from the other end of the street. When we asked for angelic help, they didn't have far to go! God, in His infinite wisdom, knew what the enemy had planned for me and made sure help was nearby to assist ASAP. And help they did! The worst thing that happened to me was merely a sensation of fear. I suppose it could have been much worse if I wasn't being protected from the unseen realm. We rejoiced!

After I thanked my brother for his aid, I went outside, knelt on my lawn and praised God for His awesomeness. I could smell the cleanness in the air- almost like the way a fresh Spring rain cleans the air- but this was in the spiritual realm. I was aware of God's cleansing blood that flowed down the three blocks of Center Street that night.

- - - - -

Today I am reminded of Daniel, when he prayed seeking an answer from God for 24 days. An angel came with that answer and told Daniel that God had sent him immediately after he had spoken to God about it the first time. But on the way, the angel had encountered an evil enemy who deterred him all that time until Daniel's continued prayers gave the angel a more powerful reinforcement to help him get through to Daniel (Daniel 10). I wonder what would have happened if Daniel's answer angel had already been stationed nearby?

There really IS a war going on in the heavenlies. We might not see it daily (it's probably a good thing we don't!), but that does not deny its existence. Our prayers cause things to happen that would not happen if we didn't pray. When we start praying, we should not let our entreaties quickly fade. The "ammo" we pray into the spiritual realm gives strength to those on our side. The "ammo" we fail to pray defaults our enemies an advantage because our side is not strengthened.

Epilogue: It's been about ten years since that night. Fear has not bothered me from that day to this. Oh, he tries now and then, but I know his secret and how to defeat him, so he doesn't stay long. He used to have much more control over my life, but it's hard for me to even remember those days. I won my Fear Factor challenge thanks to Jesus.

Fade to Blood red.

- - - - -

Prayer: Lord, our enemy would keep us in fear. He would keep us blind- especially to his existence, that he could better hide his evil work. But we have the truth! We know he exists; we know he fights against us and we know that when we stand up against him, he runs like a frightened puppy.

We are tired of blindness and tired of being afraid. We choose to open our eyes and fear no more.

I speak the truth over you, that you would be free from the enemy's lies and his hold over you. You were created to be victorious and I proclaim that destiny. Seek and find your place in the war.

I speak peace and joy into you, from the Holy Spirit of God Himself. Go with that blessing upon your life and spread it around.

Amen.

Captivated

This morning as I was hanging out with God, I was listening to an album by Vicky Beeching ("Yesterday, Today & Forever"). Now it usually takes me awhile to settle myself down to truly worship, so by the time I got to her 9th piece, I was ready- "Captivated." Here are the words that broke into my toughened heart:

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I was undone.

Life can be so difficult! Work, people, schedules, meetings, computers, traffic, time . . . these things can drain the joy out of us. Their constant nagging, clamoring for our total attention. If we're not careful, they can slowly pull us away from our first love. We may go kicking and screaming, but off we go anyway.

But in moments of solitude, silence . . . being alone with God, we can recapture that which is really important- worship of the One who is more valuable than anything.

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I don't have anything else of value to say here. It's all up to you now- get away from that computer, shut the door, turn off the TV. Whatever it takes, get alone with God and just be quiet.

Listen.

Fix your gaze on the One who loves you and desires more than anything else to be with you and let you know of that love.

My work is done, but yours is just beginning.

Friday Night at OOB Top 10 List

Friday night at Old Orchard Beach was awesome and there are many reasons I say so. Here's my Top 10 List:

10) It didn't rain!

9) I got to see "The Generals" coloring book made just for this year's meetings!

8) I was the first person to start off the 24/7 Prayer Room for the camp meetings (just like last year); 1 hour of POWER! The word I got was "It's all about Jesus."

7) It was (and always is) good to see many good friends and family!

6) It was great to be able to reconnect with a group of War College students who are all special to me!

5) I got to see and hug a few of my spiritual daughters (both official and unofficial ones)!

4) General Burrows spoke twice and was awesome (there were many seekers at the altar)!

3) I got to pray with a couple of people at the altar and General Burrows came down and prayed with us!

2) I got to spend some late hours praying with The War College Ministry Team for their week of Prophetic Evangelism at the OOB pier (praying with them is always fantastic)! God has some BIG plans for them this coming week!

1) The War College Team prayed for Debbie & I and gave us some awesome personal words from God about our specific situation in Rhode Island! One person who doesn't know our situation at all, spoke of the many children in our care and how God will be providing financially (as those of you who read my blog regularly know, we have a large Child Care Center in RI and we owe $2.5 million for its construction)!

Wow! More evidence God is working to get rid of that debt! Watch this space!

Satan is a Liar!

I heard a good sermon today (actually 2). I have a page of notes I took and of the bloggable stuff I wrote, here is what I want to offer you today:

Satan is a liar!

Just like my native language is English, Satan's native language is Deception. I don't have to think about what I say, it just naturally comes out in English. Satan just naturally speaks lies and we need to learn that when he speaks to us, there is no need to wonder if there's anything we should think about in there somewhere. There isn't; he's lying!

He tells us things like "you're not as good as that person," "you're not up to that," "you can't," "people don't like you," "you're ugly," you're a loser," "you're not . . .," etc. Those are lies. Plain and simple- lies!

The trick, you see, is learning when it's Satan speaking and when it's God speaking. When you know that, it's no problem ignoring what Satan whispers in the back of your mind. And here's the key to knowing the difference: God loves you; Satan does not. When you hear good things about yourself, you know it's God speaking. When you hear bad things, it's Satan (or maybe it's your own voice agreeing with Satan's curses that he has already convinced you of).

God made you just the way he wanted to. Sure, you don't always live up to the potential he placed in you, but he loves you anyway. His love is not based on the condition of your doing well.

I am sick and tired of people convinced they are not good enough; not accepted, etc! Well, not sick and tired of the people, just sick and tired of the enemy's lies! God's plan is to bless you, not to curse you.

Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam, but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loves you. - Deuteronomy 23:5

So there you have it. Satan is a liar, but God loves you. Simple, but serious truth for today.

Released!

Today was our final SonDay in Bangor. Fully expecting an incredible day, I arrived shortly after 7 AM- even earlier than I usually do. I quickly got things set up and began to pray on my face (as is my custom).

After awhile, I sensed God wanted me to get under the waterfall of his grace again. He didn't need to tell me twice! I jumped right in and began to soak up all I could. After a time, he wanted me to roll over on my back. When I did, I soon sensed God sent angels to wash me with brushes. They were scrubbing me all over!

Then God had me go to my favorite spot in the corps building- under the Holiness Table. There the angels began to anoint me with oil. Soon the Holy Spirit opened a trap door in the back of my head and began to pour oil (Himself) in and it filled me up completely. When that was finished, he told me I was released from Bangor. I immediately felt a joyous freedom! Up until that time, I found it hard to think about and focus on Rhode Island. I kept coming back to Bangor as if something invisible kept restraining me.

From there out the day got progressively better (if you can believe that)! Study class was great; lots of people showed up to say farewell- some had never been to our church, some had been away for a long time. There was a great spirit (Spirit!) in the chapel; we were ready to worship! And that we did!

Stephanie has quickly become one of my favorite live worship leaders and she was seriously worshiping today! Tears welled in my eyes many times as we all lifted our hearts to Jesus. The whole room seemed to be worshiping with everything they had.

After my final message, our friends gathered around us and prayed for us. God spoke clearly through everyone who prayed. Some spoke words of comfort and challenge, others spoke words of prophetic power over us! These prayers reminded us that God has some powerful things in store for these people too. Their prayers were refreshing, challenging and encouraging. I will not soon forget the love spoken over us.

After singing "Nothing Compares to the Promise I have in You!," Debbie and I together offered our final benediction and blessing. I could barely keep my voice from cracking as emotion flowed over me and through me. Wow!

Many hugs, tears, good words and handshakes followed before we headed down for a fellowship luncheon together. Good food, pictures and a nice time of fun and memories before more hugs, tears, good words and handshakes! Whew! I was drained, but loving it. I could have done it all over again! We'll certainly miss the wonderful people of Bangor, Maine!

And the rest of the day got even better! I played my last game of Halo2 with Michael & Stephanie (they let me win!). We packed more (uh maybe this wasn't "better"), had a farewell dinner with Drew P and finished up with The Foundry (more cool worship and God's Word!). Then it was home again to pack more (ugh!) because the truck comes @ 7:30 tomorrow morning! And facebook and blogging before packing my computer (I hope I survive without it!).

Bangor family: Thank-you; it's been an awesome ride! You have blessed us and we will remember all of you with love. We are confident that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Stay close to Jesus!

Standing Under the Waterfall of God's Grace

I've been training Stephanie in Deliverance and Inner Healing since she's been in Bangor. We haven't had a lot of time, since we're moving, so God has had her on a serious fast-track! She's gone through multiple prayer sessions (thanks Denise!), we've talked a LOT and she's been voraciously reading through my library (can you believe I'm actually letting her return a few of my books AFTER we move? Now that's trust!).

I believe Stephanie is gifted for this ministry as I am. It's obvious that God is working in her to move her along quickly. In fact, as I learn more of her history, I see where God has been working on her for a long time to prepare her for a deliverance ministry.

So the other day I figure it's time she "flies solo" and leads a session with me. No problem- she was ready! Mary joined us this time as we sat in our corps chapel.

That morning as I spoke with God, I learned ahead of time what my prayer session would be about- my anxiousness about our move. I won't go into details, just let you know I've been wanting to control things and that's just what I can't do, since I have no say or knowledge of what's coming. And this session was very helpful, since Jesus had me let go of my anxiousness and desire to control my situation.

When I finally dropped it all over a cliff, it shattered on a rock far below and a waterfall began to flow down and wash it away. God had Mary share that I should stand under that waterfall. As I did, I learned that it was God's grace! So I stood there for awhile and soaked up everything I could.

I'm still standing there.

And God is still showering me with his grace.

That, I can deal with!

Stephanie Burr

As many of you know, Stephanie is our War College intern this summer in Bangor. While I was in Vancouver teaching in January, I heard from God that she was the one who should come and I was pleased when the staff agreed and was able to work that out. Each year God has sent us great students and Bangor has benefited greatly from their ministry with us.

Almost a month ago, as Denise and I were driving Stephanie to Bangor from the airport, I started hearing Stephanie was to be even more special.

Not too long after that, I sensed I was to "adopt" her. Now Stephanie already has a father and I'm not looking to replace him- however God wants me to provide a spiritual covering, a mentoring, a fatherly blessing. But I hadn't known Stephanie very long. I wondered how would she take that news. Even so, I knew if God wanted it, He would work out the timing and details.

So the other day we were chatting about the day they officially announced she would come to Bangor. She said that day, God told her she was coming to Bangor and that He had a father for her in that. When she spoke those words, I knew immediately God had given me the confirmation I needed! So when I brought it up, she was totally on the same page as I was.

So yesterday, we cemented our new relationship as father and daughter. I look forward to what it will bring us both and how God will bless others through this spiritual connection. I pray I will be able to live up to what God is asking of me.

Welcome to the Burr family, Stephanie! You've got a new brother (Chris) and two sisters (Jenn & Heather) already, but at the rate God is working in my life- that could just be the beginning!

Oh and I almost forgot your new brother Winfield.

The Father's Love for us

I've got a lot to talk about lately. I'm not sure why I haven't been blogging about it all. Guess I'll have to make up for it in the next few days. However, my first priority is this morning's worship service in Bangor!

Wow!

I'll say it again. Wow!

I'll even say it backwards. Wow!

I can honestly say that was the best sermon I never preached!

Here's the deal: As we were praying in the chapel early this morning, God said his desire was to tell us he loved us with a Father's love. So we prayed and proclaimed that and spoke our willingness to receive that news deep in our hearts. During the meeting we spent some time praying for our corps vision and for George's healing from cancer. Then we worshiped.

As we started singing "How deep the Father's love for us," Holy Spirit began to move. So we repeated some of the song. Debbie led a time of prayer and God led us to prolong it a bit. As we were about to finish, Debbie felt she needed to say something. After she spoke, she asked anyone who needed to feel God's father-love for them to stand. Slowly at first, then people all over the room began to respond. She then asked someone near those people to give them a Father's hug. After a powerful time of God demonstrating his love to us, through us, we repeated "How deep . . ." There were not many dry eyes in the whole room!

At that point I realized I had nothing to add to God's word for us, so we sang another song and closed with a blessing to receive God's father-love and share it.

One of our teens was heard to say: "that was just like Youth Councils!"

Wow!

NNE Youth Councils Report

Sorry for the delay in reporting about our Divisional Youth Councils. A lot has been going on, so when that happens, my blogging usually takes a hit. I know, I know! I must be very busy lately!

(in)Visible was the theme; We are visible; we are seen, known and loved by God. That theme was very appropriate and well orchestrated throughout the weekend.

Like last year, I was assigned to get a prayer team together for the weekend. Last year, God gave me that assignment. This year, our DYCS asked me as well! Based on who I knew was going to be there, I conscripted Joyce Hartshorn and Shaun Bellanger to round out the team. There are other powerful prayer warriors in our division, but since they weren't going to be present, I decided to go with power over numbers. As it was, Joyce had to leave before the SonDay AM service.

At 7:45 AM SonDay, I arrived at Sebago Hall to begin praying. I was by myself for a few minutes, so I began praying the Bible throughout the room. I started with scripture praising God and his power, then he led me to a passage about his love. I was soon overwhelmed with the desire of God to make his love known to the delegates that morning (I hadn't put 2+2 together yet, figuring out that was the theme for the morning service).

Before long Shaun arrived and his first question was: "What is God telling you?" I told him God wants to make his love known and he jumped right in. God soon gave Shaun Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

For Yahweh your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song.

WOW! Incredible! Now things were getting exciting! We quickly got that verse up on the video screens and it stayed there well into the service (still a couple of hours away). We began to pray for freedom of worship and against quenching the Spirit.

We kept praying and a few people joined us here and there until the room was filled with excited kids, ready to hear from God. The service started but there seemed to be something blocking us from getting through to God or from God getting through to us. The war was on. We kept praying.

Worship was a little stifled. That block needed to be broken. Warfare was just beginning. We kept praying.

We got a word from Michelle (one of our delegates from Bangor) that the Spirit was hovering over everyone, but was unable to fully settle down on everyone in the room. We kept praying.

I talked with Everett, our DYCS, about the fire extinguishers I saw hanging on walls throughout the room. We agreed he (as the authority present) would take them all off the walls and put them on the floor as a prophetic act to signify our desire to not quench the Spirit. Soon after that, one of our Cadets got up to give her testimony. She started by singing "Jesus loves me . . ." and I knew immediately in my Spirit that was what we needed to begin breaking through. God began to move. Before long, kids were moving freely up to the altar and kneeling all around the room, seeking God with tears and sincerity. Yet there was still something keeping the Spirit from completely falling on us. We needed to press through.

At one point Meghan, another of our Bangor delegates, stood up on her seat in the front row, raised her arms and began praising God. Now Holy Spirit fell big time! Michelle got the word that as long Meghan kept her hands raised, the Spirit would keep moving freely. So Michelle suggested we follow the example of Aaron and Hur- help Meghan keep her hands raised. So for the next hour(?) or so, people kept sharing the task of keeping Meghan's hands high in the air. It was an awesome sight! And the Spirit kept moving!

Eventually, Holy Spirit waned and we had to slip quietly back into the "real" world. But many lives were touched by God that morning. I believe deeply touched and changed. Our Bangor delegates particularly, received very special blessings from God, praying for each other and re-committing their lives to God's will for them. At least one got saved for the first time!

Now our challenge is to be faithful- to keep walking out God's will for us on a moment by moment basis. Our task is to be obedient to what God tells us daily- to make the right choices each time. To live holy as God expects.

We can do it. We will do it, by his grace within!

The Foundry

April 1st, 2007 at 7:00 PM was the beginning of The Foundry in Bangor, Maine. Tonight was the continuation of that blessing.

What, you might ask, is "The Foundry?" It's a NEW contemporary worship service envisioned, organized, put together and run completely by the Young Adults of our corps.

For this first month (April), the decision was made to start meeting with those who worked on it's "founding" (heh, heh) and anyone who heard about it by word of mouth. The intention is to bathe the process in prayer and found a core of those committed to it's success.

We have not been disappointed! God has shown up, people have been touched and the core is being melted and formed (I'm thinking of the chorus 'Break me, Melt me, Mold me, Fill me').

Tonight was my first time (we were on vacation last week) and I was amazed at the spiritual openness and immediate presence of Holy Spirit. Things will be accomplished in this setting (in our Corps and Bangor) that cannot be done in our regular AM worship services (for a variety of reasons we won't go into here).

Suffice it to say we are excited! And anxious to see what God has planned.

We need to get the word out- May 6 is the public "opening." Pray with us that God will be honored and His Kingdom will be advanced through this new endeavor.

BTW, the picture above was a God-incidence (as opposed to a coincidence, which I don't believe in). The Foundry's Title slide was being projected on the screen at the end of the service, when someone retracted the screen before shutting down the projector. The image melted onto the back wall of our chapel to reveal an inkling of God's hand on things.

Isn't God awesome?!

BTW, check out Denise's blog for her thoughts (it's her picture) and The Foundry Blog (both linked on the lower right) for more info and future blessings.

It is Finished

While it may be an appropriate quote this time of year, it's not what you might think. Actually, our Corps new Prayer Room is finally finished! And it's already being used to good advantage.

Pictured from Left to Right you can see what it looked like just before we added books to the bookshelf, CDs to the music rack and started posting things on the bulletin board.

In this small room are 4 doors, so it was a bit difficult to arrange the space effectively (one door is a closet and another will be locked- so don't worry about the gold cloth hanging over it).

Highlights are as follows: The room is painted Royal Blue with Gold cloth accents depicting the royal atmosphere of where we will meet with our King.

Out theme is on the banner maroon banner- we'll never give up!

We have a serious current map of the world which will help us focus on specific areas at different times.

The picture depicting 2 Chronicles 7:14 will always keep our attention on humbling ourselves to seek God's face.

We have a wall calendar from The Salvation Army in Japan to remind us of the international mission of our Army.

The bulletin board will help us keep everyone on the same page with new items for prayer and things to meditate on.

On the desk is a notebook to keep track of what we are hearing from God and keep continuity from person to person spending time in the room.

Our goal is to eventually get to 24/7 prayer, but for now we start where we are with our intercessors practically DYING to get in there and spend some quality time with God!

This is an exciting venture for our corps. Please pray with us that we step up to the plate (as it were), take full advantage of this opportunity and pray the fire down from heaven to bring revival and change the world around us.

Here's to getting the whole world saved starting in Bangor, Maine!

Operating in the Natural in a Spiritual Environment (Part 2)

So if operating in the Natural is not valid in a Spiritual Environment, then how do we go about operating in the Spiritual? Jack Hayford mentions it in his article (if you haven't read it yet, go back to yesterday's entry). What do we do?

Listen to God.

Now I fully realize that stymies cessationists, because they think God can only speak to us through the Bible. But more and more people are coming on board with actually listening to God in prayer and expecting him to personally answer. I must admit it's something I was not taught to do as a child.

God tells us in Scripture:

Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know. - Jeremiah 33:3

He also says:

You will hear a voice say, "This is the way; turn around and walk here." - Isaiah 30:21

Enough defending hearing God's voice. God speaks. What else is there to say?

However I was intrigued by Jack Hayford's way of approaching God. Instead of assuming (because he is a successful pastor in a large church) that whatever he wanted to do was anointed of God, he actually asked God what he should ask for!

You know, I've been listening to God speak to me personally for a few years now, and I still keep discovering new ways to ask him things! This is another new way and I like it. Especially as it relates to the "business" of the church.

What if we started asking God what we should do instead of the "business gurus" out there that have written all those books on leadership? Would we make decisions that would stymie the gurus? Of course we would! If we were listening to God, then those choices would turn out for the best even if the gurus
would cringe at our seeming lack of good sense.

I seem to remember a story in the Bible about a town called Jericho. What was the battle plan God gave them? What? March around the city 7 times for 7 days? What!? Shout at the walls!? Are you crazy?!?

Did it work?

Who in their "right mind" would EVER suggest such a ridiculous military plan? But it was God's idea and there was no guess-work to it.

I'd like to suggest we actually start listening to God for ALL the decisions we have to make relating to our corps. We would certainly make some people nervous, because we would begin doing some really weird things!

But they would work! Assuming we were actually listening to God- not just asking him to rubber-stamp our plans. You see, God is NOT obligated to support our ideas, but he IS obligated to support his own!

Listening to God IS Operating in the Spiritual. That's what I'd like to do. Now, I have been doing this for some things, but I must admit I have not been doing it for everything.

I'm going to start. Anyone out there with me?

Operating in the Natural in a Spiritual Environment (Part 1)

I just finished reading an excellent article my brother sent me from Buildingchurchleaders.com. Jack Hayford titled his work "Why I Don't set Goals." I have always had a natural aversion to goal setting, so I was interested in what this well known man of God had to say.

Before I go any further, you need to read it in it's entirety at the following link:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/vision-strategy/articles/090905.html

Go ahead. I'll wait . . .

If you haven't read the article I'm not going to let you read any further- so get going! Besides much of what I say won't make any sense if you don't read it.

So what do you think? I tend to agree with him- even in that is it hard to "buck" the system of setting goals, because they are not totally evil; they do have some good aspects. The problem is (as he says):

"If we reach the goal, we conclude that 'God is blessing.' The next assumption is 'God is in this program,' and before long we are serving the program instead of the Lord himself . . . We [in the church] have a propensity for launching our crusades with righteous intent and then fueling them with carnal energy."

I so agree! Just because something is successful doesn't mean God is in it (not necessarily the reverse either)! Nor does it mean that the ones who put the program in place are doing God's will through it. Nor are they necessarily God's anointed messengers because of that success.

For instance, take the kings of the Old Testament. You have a good king, then a bad one. Then a good one and another bad one- etc, ad infinitum. According to scripture, each one was "placed there by God." Did each one follow God? No. So can we say that because a king got into his place of authority, that God was on his side? I think not- in some cases God actively fought against them! Assuming that every person who attains a leadership position is therefore anointed is not a valid assumption. But there are few people who think they are "doing the wrong thing." They start from the position of righteous intent, but fuel that fire with carnal energy.

Hence my title: Operating in the Natural in a Spiritual Environment.

The church is a Spiritual Environment. Operating in the Natural should not be a part of our manual. The person who operates from the Natural (Carnal) should not have authority over the Spiritual person. The church is not a business and should not be run as such. Yes, we need to move in the business world and we need administrators and business people to help us manage. But the leadership should be those operating from the Spiritual.

What's your take?

[Part 2 tomorrow]

Prophetic Titles

One of the special things God did for me this year during prayer ministry times, is give me a "Prophetic Title" for each person I prayed with (I say each person, because there are many people who wish to get involved in such prayer ministry, not just the current session of students. In fact, there are a few past students who have scheduled a prayer time with me every year I have returned!).

I mentioned these titles a couple of days ago. Simply put, they are a way God sees the person. It is prophetic, because (like all prophecy) the individuals have to agree with the title and move toward it for the truth it represents to become a reality. For instance, Jesus saw Peter as a Rock. Peter had to accept that and help it come into being in himself. If we disagree with such things they will not come into being.

Some of these are truly exciting to me, so I hope each person will receive them, agree with their truth and move in that direction.

I asked if I could publish these on my blog and got the okay, so here they are (not in any particular order and I hope I get all the names right!):

Matt Armstrong - Quiet Strength
Donny Melanson - God is my Power
Matt Elcome - My Pure One
Catherine Marquis - Explorer of My Mysteries
Lisa Stewart - My Worthy One
Becky Austin - Receiver of My Radiance
Crystal Myers - My Playful One
Andy MacDOnald - My Strong One
Lynn Wagner - My Priceless Jewel
Olivia Munn - I Pour Into This one (I was heavily impressed with this!)
Kirsten Ivany - Simply Trusting in Me
Juan Reyes - Abandoned to Me
Regan Lipsett - My Treasure
Holly Warren - My Obedient One
Stephanie Lines - Beloved of God
Stephie (last name?) - My Princess
Cristina Edmonds - At Peace With Me
Nicole Brindle - Blessed Beyond the Curse
Ian Smith - Full of My Wonder
Dawn Paulson - The One That I Want (with the music from the musical Grease!)
Jeremy Strain - Mighty Warrior
Lynne Cawker - My Precious Bride; My Sun Ray

"Daily" Blog

Heh, heh.

Yeah, I was hopful. However, I've been extremely busy these last couple of days! We started out with a small session of War College students and longer prayer slots to schedule. But those quickly filled up so we added another session at night and squoze a couple in here and there. End result: I've been going full out and I think there's still someone not on the schedule. I got back to my room around 9:30 last night; morning came a little too quickly for me!

Needless to say, I've been having trouble taking the time to blog "daily." But I've got a few minutes now, so let's get started.

This year it was decided to hold my prayer ministry sessions in the war room (614's 24/7 prayer room which has been going strong for over 2 years, I believe!). That fact alone seems to have attributed to the "easy" sessions I'm having. Last year some of the sessions were a bit rough- dealing full on with demons and such. This year, we're having a lot of quiet times with Jesus. So much so, that one student was heard to say during her prayer time: "I'm sorry nothing exciting's happening. But Jesus is just sitting with me." "I'm sorry?" Ha! Those are the times when I get some of the overflow, so I can bask a bit in Jesus' presence as well. Not too shabby, I'd say! Actually, I love it when that happens!

I did get to witness a new first for me though. When one student was meeting with Jesus, she was in a hard place. Jesus appeared playing the piano. The student moved over and sat beside him. Jesus put his arm around her and kept playing on the outer keys. He then nudged her to play with him on the inner keys. She started playing with Jesus and it dawned on me he had given her the spiritual gift of music at that moment in her life! Wow!

Yesterday, two different students had to use their "Sword of the Spirit" on some demons. To put it mildly Demons don't respond very well to The Word of God when it is used correctly! To sum those moments up: those demons are gone! I'm expecting those students to see some marked change in their lives from here on out.

God has been giving me a simple Word for each student I am praying for so far; sort of a prophetic statement about them or a new title for them. Here are a few: Mighty Warrior, Beloved of God, Strong One, Receiver of My Radience, Full of My Wonder, Priceless Jewel, etc. This is very cool! Maybe I'll put the full list up when I finish.

Today, class delves into Demonology and our Authority. That's probably my favorite section of my teaching notes (probably because of my particular giftings). However, it is truly a misunderstood facet of our Christian walk. When we grasp our true placement in God's order of creation, real power can come from that. Demons shudder when faced with that truth from a person who really knows their place of authority over them.

Well, I need to get moving. Another long day ahead of me! Thanx for your continued prayer support!

2 Specific Things to Concentrate on in Bangor This Year

There are 2 specific things God has told us to concentrate on this year in Bangor. And it's my plan to accommodate him! Since hearing his leading, I've been working on ways to make some changes.

God's Instruction: Concentrate on training your Intercessors.

Our Plan: I purchased a special book about the relationship between Leaders and their Intercessors, "Intercessors and Pastors: The Emerging Partnership of Watchmen and Gatekeepers" by Eddie and Alice Smith (Spirit Truth Publishing). I am reading it now (there's LOTS of awesome insight in there, so far!) to prepare myself for the next step:

I purchased 6 books for 6 of our Intercessors (I already have them singled out), "The Beginner's Guide to Intercession" by Dutch Sheets (Gospel Light Publishing). My plan is to work through the book together in a small group setting.

As you know (if you've been reading my blog for any time at all), my mission is to equip and empower His people for their ministries (see "About Me" upper right). Therefore this is right up my alley, so to speak! Intercession is one of our corps' spiritual gifts as well, so this training is vital to our reaching our purpose as a part of the Body here in Bangor.

I expect this to be an awesome time of fellowship, training and learning how to further release our corps' purpose of intercession. Watch this space to hear of our progress.

God's Instruction: Concentrate on spiritually developing your Pre-Teens.

Our Plan: I'm actively looking to find a young woman (there's reason for it to be a woman) to take a part time job focusing specifically on developing our Pre-Teens. Her task would be to work closely with them, teach their SonDay School class in which they would develop their spiritual ears (hearing God speak to them), praying and getting them involved in our worship services.

I'm hoping to get involved a bit myself. I'm not sure yet what that's going to look like, but I am working on it. We'll see.

We have such a powerful young force available, but we have not been faithful in developing them to their potential. God wants us to change that.

BLESSING:
May you hear God's voice and know it's him when he speaks to you. May you not only understand what he wants you to do, may you joyfully jump straight into his purpose for you and concentrate on the specifics that will make it happen, to the glory of God our Father through Jesus Christ by the power of his Holy Spirit.

SonDay Musings

In case you missed our service in Bangor today, you can go below and read my message (Saturday's blog)! Of course, in person I threw in a couple of good jokes (I said "good jokes" Tara- people actually laughed!), but you'll get the gist.

This message was one of those that you just knew God was going to bless, because I had an awesome sense about it even as I was writing it. Holy Spirit within was witnessing to my spirit (TSA doctrine #8) and I could hardly wait to speak it out to God's people. True to his word to me, God led seekers to our altar and we had a powerful time of prayer.

At one point during prayer, I looked over and saw "Walmart" (written on the crutch padding of one of our seekers) laying on the floor under the altar. Seeing Walmart prostrate at the foot of the penitent form hit me as a profound thing- kind of like the statuette of Santa kneeling at the creche of baby Jesus. Very enlightening: one day EVERY knee will bow . . .

It's good to bow at Jesus feet. I often spend my SonDay mornings on my face in prayer in our chapel. God has been faithful to my years long commitment and we regularly see God move in our midst these days. Good thing. I'm not sure I could survive without his presence. I certainly wouldn't want to; like when God told Moses to lead the people on, but God wouldn't go with them. Moses said: "If you don't go with us, why would we go?"

I wouldn't want to be in ministry without God's presence. I can't imagine doing all God has called me to do without his being right there with me in a physical way; his manifestation. I know there are people (soldiers, ministers, pastors, officers, etc) who don't know what God's manifest presence is (or at least experience it rarely)- it was around 12 years into my officership that I learned what that was and started experiencing it regularly! How sad.

Living in God's presence only comes with spending lots of time in prayer in God's presence. That's one of the reasons I'm thrilled to see the latest prayer movement growing strong. This next generation is spending time in God's presence praying and they will learn to walk in that presence. God will be able to work powerfully through them and they will know what it is to see the miraculous as a common thing. Incredible!

We're seriously talking about designing and building a newly partitioned room in our corps as a dedicated prayer room. It will probably take some time to get it up to 24/7 prayer speed, but we're already on our way. That will help us accomplish our corps mission of intercessory prayer for our community.

It's coming and I can hardly wait!

BLESSING:
May you learn to kneel in God's presence regularly. When you do, may he lay his hand on your back and fill you with his presence and power. May you not be able to live without him.