Snapshots and Synapses

"...but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart; in spirit and not in letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God." - Romans 2:29 I have been in prayer that God circumcise my heart. There was a time when the phrase "circumcise my heart" didn't make sense to me. In fact, the whole act seemed rather embarrassingly pointless. But what doesn't make sense in the eyes of man is often complete wisdom.   Paul's letter to the Romans opened my eyes to circumcision as having great spiritual significance. "How", I asked God, "does one get their heart circumcised?" As I prayed about the meaning, He gently opened my eyes.   God is the ultimate EVERYTHING. He is not just the Creator of Science and Prose... He is the Creator of Poetry and Art. He hides meaning in symbolism at multiple levels. I don't profess to understand all of His purposes in commanding His people to be circumcised, but Romans 2:29 brings s...

While Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted, "How blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you." Jesus replied, "Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey God's word." - Luke 11:27-28 The Gospel of Luke tells us that Mary was the "most blessed of all women" (Luke 1:42), but Jesus' words above give us an interesting comparison. Yes, Mary was indeed blessed in her role as the mother of Jesus, but we EACH have the opportunity to be blessed if we simply hear and obey God's word. To obey, we must first hear. In order to hear, we must put ourselves in a place where we can listen. And in hearing, praying that God opens our hearts and minds, we are transformed to be able to be able to obey. "It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please Him." (Philippians 2:13) So ultimately, we just need to make the time, setting our hearts to hear God, and He does the rest. Partly, ...

Pray for this country to become faithful to Our God! For the Lord said to Ezekiel (Chapter 14:12-23): The LORD spoke his word to me. He said, "Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals. Even if these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves," declares the Almighty LORD. "Suppose I send wild animals through that country and they make it childless and turn it into such a wasteland that no one travels through it because of the animals. As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could rescue their own sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves. And the country would become a wasteland. "Suppose I bring a war against that country by saying, 'I will let a war go throughout this country.' Suppose I destroy the pe...

I'm sending this out, asking for prayer. I also believe that I'm not the only one that needs to be reminded of God's truth in this area and therefore pray for faithfulness on the part of all of God's people. A couple days ago, I was hit hard with all sorts of negative thoughts: "You're a loser!" and "You should just give up!". Now, there were all sorts of good reasons behind both of those statements, and the accusations hit me hard. They were reinforced by the various circumstances throughout the day, and it's really easy to seek forgetfulness when that happens... to forget Whose we are... to forget to expect God's grace and power... to forget the WHOLE truth. But sometimes you know you're on the right path by the resistance you feel along the way. Maybe that's how the early church found it such a joy to suffer for Christ's sake. They realized the oppression, the resistance, was an indication that they were on the right pa...

I remember how I felt when I first started following Jesus as Lord and Savior. Perhaps you had a similar experience? I wanted to tell everyone I knew about my God, King and Friend. I wanted to purge my life of anything that would interfere with this wonderful new relationship. I yearned for that next, new revelation of His love. But there have been times since then when my Passion has dropped below other passions. I've heard others say with a defeatist attitude that it's like marriage, where the feeling dies and you just have to get used to it, moving on to a "more mature" relationship. Well, as scripture points out, my relationship with the Lord is very much like a marriage relationship. I can say that in over 15 years of marriage, my relationship has not always been "passionate", but to me, the ebbing of passion is a warning signal: either something is wrong in me (needing correction) or something is wrong in the relationship (again requiring attentio...

One of the great things about being available to others is that you get to hear how God is speaking to them... and in the process He can speak to you. For example: earlier this week, as I was praying for a friend, this person told me that God has really been emphasizing two things: "Obey and Expect". This hit me hard because, in truth, I was finding it hard to "expect" God's goodness. And as a fall-out of that, I was finding it hard to "obey". When I truly believe in all of God's goodness, His power and plans for me, then obedience is easy. But when I doubt that He is really in control or that He really has my best interests at heart, we're all more likely to take things into our own hands or try to hide in our addiction of choice (translation: "not obey"). My prayer for you, and my prayer request for you, is that we can all more fully EXPECT God's goodness in our lives. Blessings, Peace and HOPE!

1 John 2:3,6,9-10,15-16 "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands...Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did... "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble... "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." Summary : Love God through obedience Love your neighbor Do NOT love this world Prayer : "Lord, turn my heart and the hearts of all your people to You and toward others. Turn our hearts away from our self-gratifying interests. Help us to see others as You see them and increase our ability to truly love."

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." - 1 John 1:8-10 I was once in a Men's Group that was growing in leaps and bounds. We shared our weaknesses... our short-comings... our sins. And were able to pray for each other! But then a person joined our group that had no struggles. He offered the solution for each of us to be as perfect as he was. Within 6 weeks, that vibrant Men's Group dissolved. In our weakness, we find God's strength. May we all live in the light that purifies our stains and renews our minds! We bear witness to God's power in our lives... not OUR power to live in complete obedience! Blessings!

Both Hebrew and Greek have several words that can be translated into our one word "Love". C.S. Lewis wrote a lengthy discourse on "The Four Loves". Our use of a single word has our culture to confuse two loves. One of those loves, is the love that Our Father in heaven shows us. It is the "desire to give". It is the love that we can only understand because he "first loved us" (1 John 4:19). The other "love" is really no love at all. It is the love that the world understands. It is a "desire to get" and is more accurately translated as "lust". Lust will give only if there is a return on the investment. It seeks to promote itself, and like a cancer cell replicates beyond it's boundaries. It says: "Why should I do this for ______? What has _____ done for me?" It asks the question: "What's in it for me or my organization?" But God's economy works entirely differently. Lord open our ...

"'What is truth?' Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him.' (John 18:38) "Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified." (John 19:16) My passion is, quite literally: "Truth". Pilate came from a very different perspective. For him, 'truth' was relative, so he was able to send a man that he believed to be innocent to a gruesome execution. A friend of mine sent me a very eye-opening link to a video on YouTube. I recommend everyone listen to the video and pray for this country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c Psalm 15 - A psalm of David. 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, Isaiah 45:19 (New International Vers...

Now, I can't find this definition in Websters (which by the way does NOT carry the authority of scripture) but a person I respected once gave me this definition of the soul: it's the habit of thinking – the thoughts that we believe without even realizing it's a thought. A stronghold in our soul would be a negative belief (e.g. - a "lie") that we've bought into. For example: "I need a drink", "I can't resist ______", "I can't control my temper", etc. Satan wants your soul. He wants to control those habits of thoughts that you accept without thinking, those habitual thought-patterns that control how you feel and allow you to see and perceive truth. He wants your soul in order to control you. It is the first battleground, and if that land is lost, you are a weapon in the enemy's hands. "Resist the Devil and he will flee." Allow the renewing our your mind through the daily reading and meditating on God's ...

We all know friends of convenience: They are always there for you... so long as you happen to fit into their schedule. They're likely to give you a call... when they're looking for you to help them out. And often they're your best friend... so long as they happen to be looking in your direction. How often can I be a friend of convenience to others? How often am I a friend of convenience to God? Don't I wait until I want something until I press into His Presence in prayer? Aren't I faithful only when I "keep my eyes upon Jesus"? And don't I often spend time with Him only when He happens to fit into my schedule? There is no condemnation in Christ, yet the realization of how good He is to me as compared to my half-hearted response to His friendship spurs me on to be a better friend. His example helps me love those who only treat me as a friend of convenience, allowing me to hope they will someday learn to be a better friend... just as I desire to b...

We plan for the worst, but pray for the best (Prob 16:3) and choose not to be anxious about anything, (Phil 4:6-7) focusing on today's issues, (Matt 6:34) having confidence that all things happen for a reason and they happen for your own good! (Rom 8:28) Blessings in victory over this world through Him Who has overcome the entire order of the universe! (1 John 5:4, John 16:33)

"Storms are brewing. Where are you going to find shelter?" This is an urgent message from the Lord. We know that the wise man, who builds his house upon the Rock, will stand strong when the storm hits. The evangelical response to this is (rightly) to tell the non-christian about Christ, so that they will have a firm foundation. But the ones who need to hear this urgent message most right now are"believers". Storms are coming. Where will you find shelter? "Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we put our trust in the Name of the Lord our God." (Ps 20:7) A modern translation may be "Some trust in money and others in power, but..." where is the foundation where American Christians have placed their trust? Is it in our money... power... status... job... 401k? Have we allowed ourselves to think that God spares us from suffering? Have we used our affluence to feed our own selfish desires over the needs of others? I can write with c...

I received an email from a trusted brother in Christ, criticizing the "Emergent Church Problem". Since his emails were sent in public forum, I've decided to do the same. Inevitably, we as Christians are going to make mistakes. George Barna's book "Revolution" identifies some issues within Evangelical circles and outlines some trends within American Christianity... they shouldn't be ignored. Presenting the Gospel in a culturally relevant way has been a challenge and a controversy since Jesus' Ascension. When the culture becomes immodest, do we discard the value of modesty in order to be "relevant"? Do we embrace a "Feminine Deity" to become more inclusive? While both issues reflect an abandonment of Biblical principals, the second is worth drawing a line in the sand and saying emphatically: "No!" The first issue, however, is more difficult; we can focus all our attention on addressing symptoms rather than root cause...

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ... Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:1-4,8 May the love of Christ and our Father in heaven and the Spirit Who dwells within us overpower our lust for the lures of this temporary and deceptive world in which we live! May His Church be a Bride that is set free from the desires of this world! Lord, make us single-hearted in our desire for You,...

The husband looked longingly at his bride, observing every detail of her face, understanding every emotion and every thought, watching every movement as she hurried through her tasks. The bride looked at her groom and said: "I've got alot going on today. Can you help me out with this list of chores? Thanks." The groom, without losing eye contact, smiled and said: "No problem. I love you... very much." But the woman walked quickly out the door without waiting for a response, oblivious to the expression of love that her groom had just uttered. This is a story from my life, but it's not me and my wife in the above interaction. It's how I used to look at prayer: one-way communication of what I wanted done. But prayer is so much more than that. It is two-way communication; it's time spent with the spiritual Bridegroom; it's the foundational building block of our relationship with God. It's not that we have to pray... we GET to pray! If we sto...

On Jan 28th, the Lord gave me this word: "You are anointed in peace, but armed for war!" Tonight, I believe He wants me to release this word to you and from you to others. I believe there is a time of upheaval coming, and that it is very important for us to draw close to Him now (and more with each day) so that He can prepare our hearts, minds, souls and bodies for the trials ahead. John 16:33 says: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." May Christ's Peace, Joy and Presence be with each of us!

I was raised Roman Catholic, which for me was a good experience. Although I'd now categorize myself as a "charismatic evangelical with an appreciation for the liturgy and reformed theology" (or as a friend of mine puts it: "PresboEpiscomatic"), I gained a lot from the denomination of my parents. One of the things I enjoyed about my Catholic upbringing was the liturgical calendar... a structure to the year that reminded me both of my God and my need for Him. One of the seasons in the liturgical year is Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (today!). It is a forty day period before Easter, during which believers are encouraged to change habits of thought and behavior as they draw close to God through fasting and prayer – specifically in repentance. I personally plan to spend this season in repentance: I repent of the duality in my heart and mind that has not been fully focused on Christ and His Ways. I repent of my judgmental nature, which reflects the personali...

Hi All, Please feel free to pass this on to others. I've been compiling what the Lord has been saying to me about "church" and would like to hear what He's been saying to others. I currently have about 12 pages from the past 2 years (unedited, comments included) where He has been speaking about both the local church and the Church Universal. We are in what I call the Age of Jude, referring to the 2nd to last book in the Bible. It is an age where people are falling out of traditional church -- just as the leaves fall from trees in the Autumn. It is a time of harvest and a time of preparation, where we need to draw closer to Him than ever before so that we have enough "oil in our lamps". It is a time where the Bride is entering maturity. It is a time of hope, produced by suffering. The analyst in me is interested in compiling and analyzing the words He's spoken to His Body. The strategist in me wants to align my tactics with the vision. The child...