What’s so amazing about the Great Lakes is that they are… great. As in big. Lake Michigan is just about an hour drive from my house and it is an amazing place in both summer and winter. During the winter months, the waves hit the shore and freeze and form these fantastic iceberg-esque structures along the shore called “shelf ice.” Beyond the piles of ice and snow, the frozen lake stretches far out as far as you can see. When you are standing out on the edge of the ice, looking at what seems to be a vast frozen land of ice and snow, with the sun coming through the clouds and gleaming off the patches of ice, shimmering it’s setting path across the vast lake, it’s easy to forget you are in Michigan, and even easier to imagine that this is just a tiny glimpse of what the Arctic might be like. I love to imagine that I am standing there, on the edge of the world, looking over the vast expanse of a frozen world, and that for a few moments, I am just experiencing the quiet stillness of a world undisturbed by industry and progress.
Chad and I visited the dunes of Michigan City last Sunday. He had never been there to experience the climb up Mount Baldy and to walk out on the shelf ice. So it was fun to introduce him to the coolness that is Michigan City. I love going out there and shooting the lighthouse and the dunes and the sun on the ice. It was just another magnificent day to climb a huge hill, stand there at the edge of the water and drink in huge breaths of the atmosphere. Check out the gallery of the day >>
I’ve been spending more time in IHOP lately, especially the evening hours.
Turn your eyes from looking at the worthless. Even the permissable is not beneficial.
They were singing that chorus the other day in IHOP-KC and I was struck by it immediately. So often we waste time watching useless stuff that just … wastes … time. It might not even be bad, necessarily, but it is just worthless, meaningless. I have found myself doing that so many times – starting on some celebrity story and then suddenly it is an hour later and I have really done nothing at all except put a bunch of stuff into my mind which has not edified me, has not done anything to feed my spirit… Permissable, sure. Beneficial, not at all. We’ve become a culture of trivia, having lots of information but on a shallow level. Too afraid to plunge the depths of spirituality, of God of our destinies. And if not afraid, far too busy.
The other day I was part of a group that was talking about fasting food and how difficult it was, but how important it was in moving the heart of God. I mentioned how it might be beneficial to fast Facebook, mostly as a joke, but the reaction of the room was so unanimous that it was almost funny. There were gasps and snorts – such an unthinkable thing! To not get on Facebook? Goodness. It was stated that fasting food would be easier and more preferable! Then I was reading an article posted on an IHOP musician’s blog and he had a quote by John Piper which really struck me as well.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”
And it’s not just those – they are easily picked on because they are popular right now. My friend Chad (an avid Facebooker) was quick to point out that there are many other things that can take similar places in our lives – like fiction books, movies, TV, etc. He’s right, but the truth is that social networking sites can have a tendency to consume us – as we scroll through the hours of video, photos and conversations of daily life of our hundred of friends. Books and media can do that, but I don’t think to the same extent and are not quite as accessible as getting tweets on your phone and Facebook updates all day long. At what point do we stop and say, I need to get off this thing and live real life… not this virtual construct. I need to stop being bound to things which take me from places of prayer and become a man of prayer.
So … taking our eyes of worthless and shallow stuff that is not beneficial. It’s a good thing to consider because the Christian life has to be about depth. It has to be about something more than the mundane and banal. James says to prove your faith by your actions. It’s definitely what I am planning to continue to work toward.
Well it’s been a little while since everything went down with my laptop, and I am glad to say I got it back and it is up and running. So a few weeks and a bunch of money later, everything was pretty much recovered and a new hard drive installed. The backup drive is also firmly in place and running frequently.
Things have been active around the ministry lately. I’ve had many many late nights. Scott Starkweather built an amazing drum booth for our house of prayer over a period of months. It’s this amazing room that has walls about a foot thick and a door that resembles a bank vault. He built it in a separate part of the building and we moved it in piece by piece. That week was an adventure in lates nights and lots of Jade Garden, but in the end, it turned out awesome!
I have a new assistant, of sorts. A young, energetic guy named Chad was called to come to the IHOP and play drums, worship and be before the Lord. He also has come to help me out in a huge way by doing all sorts of things around the building and we have become fast friends. He is so passionate about the Lord, and has such a heart to know God more in a deep and profound way. Chad is definitely wild at heart, and is a crazy adventurer. He drives a jacked-up, sawed-off vintage Toyota pickup, and tends to be a little on the extreme side, but he’s a hard worker and not afraid to get dirty and do the job until it is done. He stayed with me every night ’til this thing was finished and for that I am thankful. What he is doing physically has helped and encouraged me – but also spiritually, in our daily conversations, I have been edified as well. I pray that God will bring him great blessing and give him tremendous favor during his time here at Voice.
Enjoy this little gallery of photos of the drum booth construction. Thanks again to those who made this project possible – Scott Starkweather, the master builder, Chad Nichols, Billy Burkett, Gary Payne, Richy Humes, Jordan Mast, Andrew, Kris Scheid, and most importantly, Traci Starkweather for giving up her husband. It’s amazing to design something and see it come to fruition. I love it. Go to the Gallery >>
In a sad series of events, my laptop decided to crash. I had to send it to Texas to be repaired and recovered. It is due to return early this coming week, at which point I will give a more thorough explanation of the aforementioned series of events. Thanks for your patience and understanding during this trying time.
Isn’t it amazing how the mainstream liberal left of our nation is so completely hypocritical and out of touch? Here we have Florida Gator’s football star, Tim Tebow, a unashamed and outspoken Christian, doing a 30 second pro-life ad during the SuperBowl and it’s like everyone in the mainstream media and the “left side” of the country is having a conniption. You would think it was the worst thing since Hitler to talk about a respect for life and defending the rights of an unborn child. For a group that champions social causes, self-actualization and individual rights, it amazes me. Interestingly enough, a May 2009 Gallup poll finds that more Christians are pro-life than pro-death. I will be interested to see the ad. CBS has had calls to, but does not plan to pull it.
Pretty much every night it’s on (Wednesday – Saturday 7pm-1am EST), I find myself watching the Awakening service at IHOP-Kansas City. Since 11/11/09 it has been going on every week, several nights a week. Some nights are slow and quiet and others are wild and crazy, but the power of GOD is on the move. Every night, people are getting healed — from ears, to backs, to everything in between — as well as all kinds of issues like self hatred, eating disorders and identity.
Tonight it is so good… I can’t even explain it because it’s intangible, but real. The presence of the LORD is “thick” in the room, and it is coming across the internet as well. [By that I mean if it were visible, it would appear tangible — as if you could reach out and take hold of it.] I think I am so drawn to it because I desire to see and feel the tangible move of the LORD upon me and others around me. I have been satisfied with occasional encounters, and I have walked in some really dry times, but I seek the tangible presence of the LORD. The LORD desires me to draw close to Him and when I do, He will draw close to me. It’s intimacy; it’s depth; it’s vitality; it’s life.
Currently, I am reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Wow. I’m not even that far into it and there are so many thoughts and concepts that are just messing with my paradigms. He quotes Paul Tillich,
“Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of meaningless and empty life…. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying, ‘You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you…. Do not try to do anything now…. Do not seek for anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.’ If that happens to us, we experience grace.”
That is just an amazing concept to get ahold of. GOD is showing me His grace again and again. I am so hard on myself when I fall, and I fail to understand the amazing grace and mercy of GOD. Manning says,
“Jesus comes bit for the super-spiritual but for the wobbly and weak kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazin’ grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion.”
Tonight as I watching, the LORD spoke to me and told me in a powerful way through Shelley Hundley. It was exactly what I needed to hear at the precise moment I needed to hear it, and I am continually amazed at how our Father uses his servants to speak the words of life to those who are listening, hoping and praying for something from the LORD.
If anyone reading this is seeking something more, something deeper, I would encourage you to check out what is going on in Kansas City. It might mess with your thoughts on spirituality, GOD, or cause you to ask some questions, but all of that is good! The reality is this… Jesus is very present and so wanting a deep relationship with you. He loves you because He loves you because He loves you… and nothing you can do will make Him love you less. Be blessed tonight and believe that in your heart.
According to the official Tolkien guidelines, I’ve decided. My Dad is an Ent.
