My sister just graduated, I was very proud of her. While I was at her graduation, there was a speaker and I can't remember his name at all, but I remember what he said.
The last 8 months have been so life changing for me and my wife that we have gone through so many different stages of brokenness. This guy started talking about our hearts and the pockets that we don't want to empty, but if we could possess these things God will show up in a spontaneous and mighty way.
1. a dislocated heart
2. a broken sprirt
3. a radical faith
4. a strategic plan
5. a personal commitment
6. a courageous soul
In my personal life I have been going though each of these, they are not always the easiest or the most practical or popular, but I think when we fully surrender our lives and give up our rights, and empty the secret pockets of our hearts that we fill with all kinds of chaos. Once we go through all these different types of brokenness and discovery. I think God wants us to stumble upon one more chapter
7. a miraculous song- which is a song of triumph
So I want to live my life with a pocketless heart and to keep discovering the brokenness so I can sing away at my triumph.
Sing Sing oh my soul
_d
Friday, May 30, 2008
Like a Lion
There's this new chorus we have been working on.
My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
then the bridge goes
Let heaven roar
and fire Fall
Come shake the ground
With the sounds of revival
I believe God is looking for a lion generation. A army that is ready to roar in this culture and provoke change. There's alot of revival like meetings springing up all over, and it's great thing to see thousands and thousands of desperate people in need of a touch from God, but I'm not sure this is a revival. The incredible thing about God is that He shows up when desperate hearts summon Him. He is is that faithful, that if we come together and expect signs and wonders, and have undeniable faith that He will produce creative miracles and bring His healing. It has nothing to do with a man or a place or a stage, it has everything to do with us being tenacious after the presence of God. Here's what I believe is a mark of revival.
first reckless hearts after His presence thats where we fall into the beauty of His holiness
then where there is God's Holiness there comes repentance. (I know I need this is my life.)
after that there comes an a expectancy for the miraculous. This is not a pentecostal or charismatic experience that you must shake and scream in some strange language. Although you may, but I think when God shows himself in revival type way, it will be such a movement that it will touch the most normal person and the most eccentric. It will be such a movement that every disbelief will bow down to worship the Lion and there will be a Roar so loud that in our worship miracles will just happen in an instance, that hearts that are searching for truth will find the only answer through the love we display in our lives and that Peace will come when in our worship the darkness will flee from this planet as we sing one song together of the Holiness of God. I love the visual of Aslan. A warrior but still so relate able and authentic and loving but dangerous. A new favorite book of mine that I just finished is called the SHACK. It was so refreshing to read and visualize the different faces of who God is. I think we will all be surprised one day to find out what we thought was God was completely not. So here's my thought's, may we experience a personal revival in our lives that provokes repentance and produces a resurrection power for all the world to see. Like a lion.
_d
My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
then the bridge goes
Let heaven roar
and fire Fall
Come shake the ground
With the sounds of revival
I believe God is looking for a lion generation. A army that is ready to roar in this culture and provoke change. There's alot of revival like meetings springing up all over, and it's great thing to see thousands and thousands of desperate people in need of a touch from God, but I'm not sure this is a revival. The incredible thing about God is that He shows up when desperate hearts summon Him. He is is that faithful, that if we come together and expect signs and wonders, and have undeniable faith that He will produce creative miracles and bring His healing. It has nothing to do with a man or a place or a stage, it has everything to do with us being tenacious after the presence of God. Here's what I believe is a mark of revival.
first reckless hearts after His presence thats where we fall into the beauty of His holiness
then where there is God's Holiness there comes repentance. (I know I need this is my life.)
after that there comes an a expectancy for the miraculous. This is not a pentecostal or charismatic experience that you must shake and scream in some strange language. Although you may, but I think when God shows himself in revival type way, it will be such a movement that it will touch the most normal person and the most eccentric. It will be such a movement that every disbelief will bow down to worship the Lion and there will be a Roar so loud that in our worship miracles will just happen in an instance, that hearts that are searching for truth will find the only answer through the love we display in our lives and that Peace will come when in our worship the darkness will flee from this planet as we sing one song together of the Holiness of God. I love the visual of Aslan. A warrior but still so relate able and authentic and loving but dangerous. A new favorite book of mine that I just finished is called the SHACK. It was so refreshing to read and visualize the different faces of who God is. I think we will all be surprised one day to find out what we thought was God was completely not. So here's my thought's, may we experience a personal revival in our lives that provokes repentance and produces a resurrection power for all the world to see. Like a lion.
_d
Worship at Workplay
So here was the mission
Let your love be loud
Let your light shine
May we shake the ground
On May 19th this prophetic word echoed and erupted the streets of bham.
We were so humbled to see so many of ya'll show up to worship and to unite us together with a voice so loud that we believe this is what God is looking for. A generation that will spread hope and birth an awakening. To the hundreds of worshipers that joined together and came to worship untamed. May that same intensity burn so fierce in us that the presence of the living God surround us like a shadow and wherever we go, may that shadow bring freedom, healing and life.
Be Bold and expect the miraculous. May the world see our love for each other and see our compassion for the broken and wounded. That we become a spark for the flame that is waiting to ignite. I am ready for the movement. Roar Away.
_d
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Would the Real Jesus please stand up
Well I'm on a bit of a soap box right now. Let me explain. I like to reserach other churches and what they are doing. There's alot of really cool trendy churches out there. So here's the trend I see. Church websight 1, we are currently in this series, church websight 2, we are currently in this series, church websight 3, we are currently in this series, Great right, well most of the time they are all the same series, or one church will come up with an idea and do a series about it, a few month later another church does that same series, but just repackages it. Now I'm all for learning and growing from other people and using their materials, but this is how I feel. If God wanted a million Rob Bell's or a million Ed Youngs or Craig Groeschel. He would have made all of us them. If God just wanted to hear Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman write beautiful songs and sing them to Him, He would have made all of us them. It's just that sometimes in these cultures we seem to say well if it's working for them hell it will work for us, and there is a great deal of wisdom in that because yes, God gives us all different strengths and we need to gleam off of each other, but here's the deal if all we do is copy what someone else is doing, then why even try to be something different, let's just all be one church and all be one worship leader, there it is right there all the problems solved, no no we are missing the mark. God has placed in each of us a unique piece of Him. There is a piece of Jesus living in me that is only in me. I want that Jesus to stand up and ooze out creativity that only He can bring through me. Please hear me out because I really do love what God is doing through these guys, but I believe that God wants to do the same thing through you wherever you spere of influence is.
Here's another thing it seems alot of people are confusing this concept
OUTPUT vs. OUTCOME
Here i'll use myself as an example.
Let say I record and produce a CD and after we package it all pretty like, 10,000 people come to get a copy of it, Well 10,000 people is not the outcome of the CD, 10,000 peole is the OUTPUT of what we just created. The OUTCOME of 10,000 people getting a copy of the CD, would be their worshp is put into motion, they become better husbands, better workers, better students, and they begin to change the enviorment and society around them, This is the OUTCOME of seeing God move.
I heard a story once about a town in another country, This town was really known for it's violence and crime and poverty, well this missionary moves into this town and begins praying and begins reaching out to these people. A revival happens and people start getting saved like crazy so all of a sudden he has this huge congregation, but he did not let the OUTPUT of these thousands of people become the church. The OUTCOME of what happened whas this, The jail was turned into a meeting place for the church, because the crime level had stopped, they built this huge facility to feed, clothe, wash, and to reach out to the number of poor people that lived on the streets ,dailey. This was the response of the pastor because so many people were coming to see what was going on, He said the church is not the number of people coming on sunday mornings, meaning this is only the output of what happenes when thousands started getting saved. He said the Church is this, When we begin to change the injustice around us, and we beging to see the community change, and we see a real societal change, That is the church, meaning that is the outcome of what it's all about.
Here's all i'm getting out. I'm including myself in all of this too, I need to do what God has for me. Whatever that is, wether it's working for a church, or leading worshp somewhere, or going to be a missionary in another country or being a loving husband. I have to let the power of God flow out of me and whatever the output produces, very cool. I love hearing about things that start off with just a dream, and see how God explodes out of that, but here's my prayer, however God wants to use me and use you, may the outcome be so great that Heaven ROARS when your name is heard.
I hope the outcome of my life is this, I was part of an awakening that brought change to this plantet.
Woud the Real Jesus please stand up and when people see Him, may they see you and me. A reflection of who He is. Don't short yourself in what Almighty God wants to do through you. Let the Creator breathe creativity into you that only you can bring. Miralces are coming.
_d
Here's another thing it seems alot of people are confusing this concept
OUTPUT vs. OUTCOME
Here i'll use myself as an example.
Let say I record and produce a CD and after we package it all pretty like, 10,000 people come to get a copy of it, Well 10,000 people is not the outcome of the CD, 10,000 peole is the OUTPUT of what we just created. The OUTCOME of 10,000 people getting a copy of the CD, would be their worshp is put into motion, they become better husbands, better workers, better students, and they begin to change the enviorment and society around them, This is the OUTCOME of seeing God move.
I heard a story once about a town in another country, This town was really known for it's violence and crime and poverty, well this missionary moves into this town and begins praying and begins reaching out to these people. A revival happens and people start getting saved like crazy so all of a sudden he has this huge congregation, but he did not let the OUTPUT of these thousands of people become the church. The OUTCOME of what happened whas this, The jail was turned into a meeting place for the church, because the crime level had stopped, they built this huge facility to feed, clothe, wash, and to reach out to the number of poor people that lived on the streets ,dailey. This was the response of the pastor because so many people were coming to see what was going on, He said the church is not the number of people coming on sunday mornings, meaning this is only the output of what happenes when thousands started getting saved. He said the Church is this, When we begin to change the injustice around us, and we beging to see the community change, and we see a real societal change, That is the church, meaning that is the outcome of what it's all about.
Here's all i'm getting out. I'm including myself in all of this too, I need to do what God has for me. Whatever that is, wether it's working for a church, or leading worshp somewhere, or going to be a missionary in another country or being a loving husband. I have to let the power of God flow out of me and whatever the output produces, very cool. I love hearing about things that start off with just a dream, and see how God explodes out of that, but here's my prayer, however God wants to use me and use you, may the outcome be so great that Heaven ROARS when your name is heard.
I hope the outcome of my life is this, I was part of an awakening that brought change to this plantet.
Woud the Real Jesus please stand up and when people see Him, may they see you and me. A reflection of who He is. Don't short yourself in what Almighty God wants to do through you. Let the Creator breathe creativity into you that only you can bring. Miralces are coming.
_d
The Release
On Sunday January 13. 2008. A group of untamed worshippers gathered together for a night of shaking the ground. I was so humbled and electrified. This night was without a doubt one of the most powerful and intence times of ecountering God that I have ever experienced. Here's what I learned.There is a a roaring generation out there, that is in such desperate pursuit of God, that want more than just a pretty worship service. I believe this generation is so tenatious, that when the presence of God falls, they can't help but cling on to it, and out of that clinging there comes a bringing, and in bringing I believe this is the message of the gospel. To one find God, and then two, become His vessels and bring His power out to first our commuinities, and then explode to the world. Christ in me and Christ in you the HOPE.
The second thing that I saw, was abosolute Freedom. Here's what I know about freedom, when you can let this thing shake your bones, that every chain becomes undone, every wall comes crumbling down, every wound is evaporated. You become so reckless is your responce to God's mercy that demons tremble at the sight of you.
So here's my challenge for everyone that came on sunday. Take this Fire of God and let it burn so extreme that all the darkness around you is incinerated. Walk with power in this athority.
Please do not let it end with the last song, but Be Light, Be Life ,and Be Hope. We live in extreme times, be extreme in your worship to this world.
I will never forget this night. The Release is alive.
_daniel
Thursday, December 13, 2007
something provacative
This whole idea of worship in motion started with this thought. The world is full of churches, and worship CD's, and lots of worshp bands, and practically a pop culture of worship, which is great don't get me wrong, but there has to be more. So here's the call, what if we took control of this pop culture and made it somthing with some blood and guts. In this day and age God is looking for a radical response for these radical times. I believe it's time for the breath of God to invade our bones and provoke us to do somthing that will change this planet, thus My Worship in Motion. It's a thought how can I live my worship out? How can I rebrand my area with the presence of God.
A few months me and a friend who is the youth pastor at church of the highlands were talking about this. We were in the midst of planning another retreat for our student ministries, and somthing hit us, we had done dozens and dozens of these retreats, retreats are powerful because you get to seperate yourself and get away from normal life for a few days and really encounter God in a unique way, but we were both like there must be somthing fresh, somthing new. An idea hit us what if instead of retreating we advanced and we did somthing bold and out loud. So we planned this day called MOTION, hundreds of young people overflowed the streets of birmingham, we took our worship to the streets and actually did somthing with it. We put it into motion we served a number of different orginizations around the city painting houses, picking up trash, reaching out to homeless people, reaching out to broken kids,. We lived our faith out boldy, and I believe the heart of God was jolted.
Another friend of ours, his name is Bryan, check out abyranphoto.com. He is by far the most outstanding photographer around. A few weeks ago was able to go to South Africa with none other than Hanson(yes the MmBop boys) and what they did in 2 weeks was more than most churches do at all. They partnered with TOMS shoes and gave thousands of them away to orphanages and schools, Well while bryan was visiting a local school there, he experienced a reality check in a moving way. The conditions of the school were in much need. So bryan was so moved with compassion that he decided he had to do react in his worship. Within a few days Bryan raised $15,000.00. to help purchase new supplies and computers(you can check it all out on his blog). Across an ocean bryan made more of an impact with his worship in motion, than most churches and people do in their own communities.
Here's all i'm saying I am ridiculously blessed and I have so much. I want my worship to Roar, and make the gates of Hell tremble. So I am in search of what I can do to make my worship live out loud, whatever it may be, I want it to compell others to move. May this freedom that we have been given, provoke us to never become satisfied with the average, and may it charge us to do something provacative in this world. So that all eyes turn to the cross. What is your worship in motion? find it and live it!
_d
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