It's funny how certain moments in our lives remain with us. The childish truths are the most important ones.

The first time I met Jesus was when I was four years old. I learned that morning how to bow to Buddha in a Buddhist Temple, which was a little more accessible considering I lived in Thailand. That night, my mom introduced me to Jesus. I learned the most important lesson from her; when you call the name of Jesus, He is faithful to come and meet you. It was simple; I just needed to say His name out loud. Apparently that was important to me,because the next day I found myself at the buddhist temple again. Feeling fear, I just said "Jesus" under my breath and taught the little girl next to me to do the same, figuring she needed to know too.

That lesson has stuck with me. When I was 7 years old, a storm threatened a tornado. My worst fear as a 7 year old was being sucked into a tornado and landing in Oz. That night when I called on His name, I physically felt His hand on my back. My best friend always comes for me.

As life's tornadoes get more complicated and more painful, He has promised that His name will always save. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Yahweh will be rescued and experience new life". Jesus, Savior, Helper, Teacher, Mighty one, Provider, Healer, Comforter, Father, whatever His name is to you, He brings life. Sometimes the childish truths are the most important ones.

Success

I'm finding success is less about being "smart" and more about understanding how to use the resources as your fingertips to their greatest potential.

Acceptance is a Giraffe. It has a long neck and long legs.

Acceptance is movement laced in love. Acceptance doesn’t equal tolerance. Tolerance is a state of mind. Tolerance doesn’t go far enough. Acceptance doesn’t equal agreement. It doesn’t even have right or wrong in mind yet. It’s an act of connection. Without it, words are irrelevant. With it, an air of limitless finds it’s home.

Do we have to accept every action, situation, thought, or opinion? Absolutely not. Because acceptance is about people. It’s about connection. It’s the bridge which love can travel on. And love is the greatest of them all.

Let the Word Become Flesh

As a child, like most, I spent a lot of time dreaming and imagining. My sitting room was a jungle, where I would save a whole tribe from an erupting volcano. The drying pavement outside was just the right substance to heal cancer. Good thing I discovered it! My living room would transform into a boat. I would, obviously, save the boat from sheer destruction as it slid past an iceberg (I had some help with that last plot).

I had and still have ambitious dreams, as do many children. I wanted to be a world-changer. But as I got older, I ran into an interesting phenomena best explained by scripture. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick”. While refusing to let my dreams go, I realized that my actual reality was different than the reality I hoped it would be. With that realization, in 2014, I began to pray with vigor, “Let the word become flesh in me.”

Now I understand that Jesus was THE WORD becoming flesh as it says in John 1. However, for a moment, let’s meditate on that scripture to see how it may apply to us as well. The word [the written word of God, his nature] became flesh [reality in the world] in and through Jesus. Jesus is a world-changer.  World-changers allow God ordained thoughts and dreams to become flesh around them. World changers, just like Jesus, ask themselves, “How can I make God’s reality, my reality?”

God’s response to me was this: Revelation 3:18, “…put salve on your eyes so you can see.” In simplistic terms, he was saying to me, “CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE!”

Journaling, making 5 year plans, vision boards, and discipline are all very important if we want to see our dreams become a reality. However, all of these actions must first be grounded in a perspective of hope, because those who “hope in the Lord will not be put to shame”. And as we change your perspectives, our actions will begin to reflect that hope and trust that we have in the Lord to be who He says He is, do what He says He will do, and perfect the works He’s started in us.

During this season, as you are making your follow-through plans, your dream boards, and your 5-year plans, spend time pursuing hope. Listen to those songs that remind you of God’s goodness, take captive those negative thoughts, and tack up those scriptures that speak of the impossible happening. As you walk in a supernatural perspective of hope in 2015, watch as the words spoken over your life from the Lord become flesh.

Treat yo Self

Indulge yourself. 

Indulge yourself in the Lord.

It's so easy to get into a pattern with the Lord. 

"Wow thanks for speaking to me, Lord." Then do it. 

"Wow thanks for speaking to me, Lord." Then do it.  Repeat the pattern twice daily. 

Lately He's been switching things up. He's telling me to indulge myself. When I feel his presence. Indulge. When I hear his voice. Indulge. When I understand his word. Indulge.

Basically? Choose to go deeper. When He speaks to me it's not just about one word. It's an invitation to a conversation. When I understand His word it's a gateway to an encounter. When I feel His presence it's a doorway to understand His nature. 

So indulge yourself. Because if not, you're missing the point. It's about the pursuit of the Father; not just a moment of his presence, not just a tickle in your ear, and a pat on your back when you understand an eloquently written passage. 

It's not about just doing. It's about the pursuit of the Father. 

Delight (to make merry over) yourself in the Lord and He will give the desires of your heart. Today the desire of my heart is to be in constant connection with Him. 

Treat yo self as others like to say… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0

Creativity Is Worship

Creativity is worship.

I remember the first time I had that thought.

It's a clear memory from my youth worship band days. My  middle school self was singing back-up. I used to focus my brain so firmly on Jesus, I think I may have started to sweat him during worship. In my mind I would yell, "JESUS JESUS JESUS" until I thought I hit my maximum Holiness spot. Back then that was my worship formula.

One particular night though, I let myself go and I sang what I thought was the coolest melody I had ever heard. For all of those runners out there... Ever hit a runner's high? I can explain what I experienced that night as a singer's high. For about two minutes, as I sang whatever creative melody I heard in my mind, I experienced elation and ecstasy like I hadn't before.

This is when I discovered. Creativity is Worship. I had entered a new level of knowing my creator. His creation was creating with Him.

I was creating with Him. There's nothing more intimate than that.

Crow |kro| n.

So who knew... Crow = a member of an american Indian people inhabiting eastern Montana. 

Peculiar. 

Tonight while Will was preaching I saw a picture of a crow (don't freak out yet, intercessors of the universe). I've been praying for more accurate words from the Lord, and he told me it was for someone. 

During ministry time the word came back to me as I looked at a woman. I began praying for her and went for it. "I see a crow, but not a bad crow, a good crow. Do you have American Indian heritage?" (I had just looked up crows the dictionary). 

She said no. 

But it turns out she is leading a missions trip to the crow people. Who knew? I didnt. I prophesied over her more and confirmed what the Lord had been speaking to her. 

Ministry is fun. 

Also a man's hearing was restored. A lower back was healed. A random guest staying at the hotel recieved restoration in both of her ears and experienced the holy spirit for the first time (the meeting was in a hotel). Many people heard from the Lord. Lots were encouraged. Bozeman, Montana.