CELEBRATING INCARNATION

I wanted to share with you a slice of the fascinating history of why we celebrate Christmas the way we have as followers of Christ. It’s written by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan theologian.     Merry Christmas with Love!   Pastor Brent

In the first 1200 years of Christianity, the central feast or celebration was Easter, with the high holy days of Holy Week leading up to the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. But in the thirteenth century, Francis of Assisi entered the scene. He intuited that we didn’t need to wait for God to love us through the cross and resurrection. Francis believed the whole thing started with incarnate love. He popularized what we now take for granted as Christmas, which for many became the major Christian feast. Christmas is the Feast of the Incarnation when we celebrate God taking human form in the birth of Jesus. Francis realized that since God had become flesh—taken on materiality, physicality, humanity—then we didn’t have to wait for Good Friday and Easter to “solve the problem” of human sin: the problem was solved from the beginning. It makes sense that Christmas became the great celebratory feast of Christians because it basically says that it’s good to be human, it’s good to be on this Earth, it’s good to have a body, it’s good to have emotions. We don’t need to be ashamed of any of it! God loves matter and physicality. With that insight, it’s no wonder Francis went wild over Christmas. (I do too—my little house is filled with candles at Christmastime.) Francis believed that trees should be decorated with lights to show their true status as God’s creations, and that’s exactly what we still do eight hundred years later. And there’s more: when we speak of Advent or preparing for Christmas, we’re not just talking about waiting for the little baby Jesus to be born. That already happened two thousand years ago. In fact, we’re welcoming the Christ that is forever being born (incarnating) in the human soul and into history. The gifts of incarnation just keep coming! Perhaps this is enlightenment.  “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” John 1:9 (NLT)

FAITH WITHOUT HOPE IS WEIRD - by Steve Buckland

I remember hearing Wendy speak these words while we were preaching together years ago. It captures an important truth for those who want to have a healthy faith.  Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises of God. I am not a proponent of simple positive thinking, but I do ascribe to biblical optimism. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).  Faith is very specific while hope is more general.  Faith says, “God is going to do this!” Hope says, “I don’t know what God is going to do but good things are coming.”  We are all waiting on something. Whether it’s a promise from God, restoration for our family, breakthrough in our finances, or physical healing, things are not where we’d like them to be. Although faith keeps us focused on the breakthrough that is coming for us, hope helps us thrive in the season we’re in right now.  Without hope, it is impossible to thrive until things are perfect. Hope says the future will be better than the present and I have the power to help make it so. You don’t have to wait a single day to have radical hope. It might not be a convenient time to stir up radical hope, but you can thrive right now, even in the season of waiting for what’s to come.  Let’s explore more about the difference between faith and hope:   Faith-people without hope tend to believe they cannot really live until certain things happen. Faith-people with hope are living while they are waiting.    Faith-people without hope have difficulty overcoming disappointment because they believe their fulfillment and purpose depend on specific things happening. Faith-people with hope are adaptable and believe they can thrive in whatever situation they face.    Faith-people without hope tend to have a spirit of heaviness while they are waiting for something to happen. Faith-people with hope are delighters in the Lord while they are waiting for their desires to be fulfilled. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Delighting, a main aspect of hope, is key to seeing what we are believing for in faith to manifest.  When we add hope to our faith, we become adaptable and live with many options. For more on hope, check out my online devotional, "40 Days of Hope" Click to check out Steve's book, "Igniting Hope in 40 Days"

OUR SOURCE OF HOPE - by Karena Lout

Thank you so much for all your help and donations that made the Christmas Outreach so special for the community! City Serve shared that 111 households were served which includes 500 family members and 278 children. It was so beautiful to look around the room and see kids choosing toys, doing crafts, getting their face painted, parents receiving prayer and encouragement, receiving needed items, enjoying apple cider. I met a young couple who have four children. They shared how difficult life has been and that the day brought a smile to their childrens' faces and brought them hope. Jesus, our source of hope, never disappoints.   "May God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!" Romans 15:13 (TPT) As we celebrate Jesus, I pray you too are filled with abundant joy and hope! So thankful for you, Karena

FEASTING ON THE TRUTH - by Brent Lokker

After yesterday’s Thanksgiving festivities, feasting is not just an arbitrary concept but it’s still locked and loaded in our short term memory!   What if we just couldn’t help ourselves and had to fill our plates and stuff ourselves with the truth of how God sees us? And what if that gave us new eyes to see each person as equally valuable? What a world we would live in if everyone believed the truth that genuinely sets us free—free to be our authentic selves, filled with light and love and the wonder of a wide-eyed child!   The Apostle Paul dares us to “feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.” And in the previous verse, he gave us the key to how this happens: “Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor and authority!” (Colossians 2:1-2, TPT)   Where are you at this very moment?  You are in seamless union with Jesus who included you eternally with himself and gave you access to everything that is his, especially his intimate relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit! Now that is truth that sets us free!   I invite you to feast on the following heavenly realities like a wide-eyed, filled-with-wonder, lavishly-loved child, which is exactly who you are!   For maximum impact, read these out loud and take your time, soaking them in.   I am seen, known, and loved by God (Rom 8:38-39) I am in union with Jesus who is my life (John 15) I am hidden in Christ but seen and celebrated by all of heaven! (Col 3:3; Heb 12:1-2) I am important, significant, and shining brightly in this generation! (Eph 1; Is 60) I am anointed to pave new paths and create new things that have never existed before! (Joshua 3) No weapon turned against me will succeed (Is 54:17) God turns all things around for my good (Rom 8:28) I am a super-conqueror through Christ who loves me (Rom 8:37) I carry the hope and abundant life of Jesus! (John 10:10; Rom 5) Out of my belly flows rivers of the Holy Spirit’s living waters (John 7:37-39) I am a burning one who runs with Jesus, sharing his heart and his passion (Heb 12:1-2)   If this hasn’t brought a warmth to your soul, by all means read them again and ask Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see yourself in the same way God does. Happy feasting!

THE OIL - by Jennifer Miskov

Without oil in your car, you can go for sometime on gas alone but a day will come where the lack of oil will cause your car to shut down and no longer be able to get you to where you need to go.  In our walk with Jesus, we must stay full of the oil of the Holy Spirit and of intimacy. We must be like the five wise virgins in Matthew 25 who paid a price to protect and steward their oil so that when their time came to step into their moment of destiny, they were ready.  Oil comes at a price. There is a shaking that must first happen to get the olives off of the tree, then there is a crushing with a huge mill stone. Then the crushed olive paste is placed on flat circular plates on top of each other before they are then pressed down for the oil to be extracted. After that it goes through a filtering process to purify it.  Don’t be surprised if golden oil is released from your life on the other side of extreme hardships, shaking, and pressing. God is forming something beneath the surface. Don’t give up. Hold on to hope. He will take your pain and turn it into golden oil in due time.  The oil poured out upon the feet of Jesus in John 12 came at a cost. Some scholars think that particular oil was so expensive that it would have taken a year’s salary to buy it. And it was all “wasted” at the feet of Jesus. But, when that one act of lavish love was poured out, the fragrant aroma of that oil filled the room and permeated the atmosphere with heaven’s scent. It is likely that Jesus had residue of this fragrant aroma on him at the crucifixion.  There is only one way to become a person full of the oil. There are no shortcuts. No Impartations strong enough to fill your oil. The price of getting the oil is TIME. Spending my time with Jesus in the Secret Place, not just checking off a list of prayer requests or daily devotions, but time set apart simply to commune with Jesus, be vulnerable to share your heart, yield fully and receive His love, listen to His heart. That is the key to the anointing. There’s no other way. He’s longing for us to be oily ones that carry and release the perfume of heaven wherever we go.  Will you set apart time this week simply to worship and adore Jesus, bringing an offering of love and devotion, come to Him with no other agenda than to pour out your heart of love before Him? He’s drawing you near. When you respond to come close, then you will see an outpouring of oil springing from the depths of your being and overflowing with God’s love, presence, and power to all you come in contact with.

REMAIN CONNECTED IN MYSTERY AND DOUBT - by Karena Lout

Recently I found myself questioning why there are so many tragic things happening in the world. I felt so burdened that I was having difficulty sleeping or functioning during the day. When there’s a demand for answers, there can be a tendency to slip into religious reasoning or definitive boxes why. We can even use scripture to justify why there’s suffering in the world. The psalms are all about David’s wrestle with God. But he continually invited him into that place with him.   The father of the young boy who was being tormented by the enemy says in Mark 9:24, “I do believe but help me overcome my unbelief.” Often times both coexist in our hearts. A part of him believed Jesus could heal his son but his pain and disappointment was clouding that.   I have many people in my life who are struggling with their faith and questioning God. Their process of “deconstruction” may seem scary to many believers but if we take time to lean in and listen, I believe God is moving in ways we might not understand yet. I’ve found a few helpful things to remember as we walk with people through this:   *Listen to understand what’s really going on without judgement or an agenda to try to change their mind. Only Jesus can do that, not our good theology or answers. *Empathize and validate pain. Sometimes we dismiss people’s experience because it’s not our own or it makes us uncomfortable. *Don’t retreat. When we stay connected, we’re communicating that our relationship isn’t based on beliefs but our love for them.   Mystery and unanswered questions are just as important as revelation. Because mystery is often where faith finds a foundation in our hearts. Jesus isn’t put off by our lack of faith, our questions, even our doubt. He is present with us in our mountaintop experiences and equally present in our valley of doubt and pain. I invite you to receive this prayer over your heart today:   “I am contending for you that your hearts will be wrapped up in the comfort of heaven and woven together into love’s fabric. This will give you access to all the riches of God as you experience the revelation of God’s great mystery- Christ! For our spiritual wealth is in him, like hidden treasure waiting to be discovered- heaven’s wisdom and endless riches of revelation knowledge.” Colossians 2:2-3 (TPT)    Love, Karena

LOVE NEVER FAILS - by Elijah & Sierra Breon

There are so many things to do each day, each week, each month. We can get so focused on the tasks that are in front of us that we miss connecting with the people around us, especially those who don’t know Christ. The only thing that is eternal in our everyday lives is the love that is given and received in relationships. Love is eternal and when we choose to give even the smallest bit of love that we have to those around us, we invest into eternity. “Love never fails...” ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬a NKJV‬‬ There are so many people around us everyday who have never known the love of Christ, never experienced the kindness and intentionality of our Father. We seek the kingdom first when we choose to turn our hearts outward to serve the needs of those around us how ever shall they might seem. It can be as simple as having a conversation with those that we work with, praying for the homeless, or giving space for people around us to be vulnerable.  Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬ ‭ESV‬‬ When we choose to love another, we are choosing to love God.  So, the challenge for us, love-filled children of God, is to turn our hearts in affection towards a world in pain and darkness, and to trust that as we give, God will bring the fruit.   “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

LIVING AS OVERCOMERS - by Brent Lokker

Even the title of this article implies that you have something to overcome. That something would be the enemy’s lies and accusations to you about who you are and about how to process what is happening in your life.   Let’s begin with the truth: God is exceptionally kind and everything he does is good—Always. He is light and in him there is no darkness—Ever. You belong to God—Eternally. No one can snatch you out of his hands—Not the enemy and not even you on your worst day. All things are being worked into something good in your life—All things means all things.   The enemy will try to plant ideas in your mind that are contrary to what you just read. Not to fret—Jesus has already overcome the enemy and you are one with Jesus!   So, our greatest obstacle to joining Jesus in his overcoming victory is simply to agree with the Trinity’s assessment of truth even when we have a thought that is contrary. Only the problem is that doesn’t always feel so simple when the lies feel so real.   Lies and accusations can sound like a myriad of things, but it might sound something like this: “Why is everything seem to work against me?” (Poor me! I’m a victim.) “How come evil is winning?” (We’re doomed! Nothing matters.) “How can you put up with me, God?” (I’m damaged and unlovable ) “Aren’t you sick of me by now?” (Let me sabotage this relationship before you cut me off!) “If you really loved me, you would change this or that in my life.” (Why don’t you care?)   So, what do we do with thoughts that are contrary to God’s truth? We bring them to Jesus and allow him to show us what is real and what is a fraud, because on our own it’s impossible to do. Remember: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)   Here’s Paul’s description of what that looks like to bring those faulty thoughts to Jesus: “The dynamic of our strategy is revealed in God’s ability to disengage mindsets and perceptions that have held people captive in pseudo fortresses for centuries. Every lofty idea and argument positioned against God’s knowledge of us is cast down and exposed to be a mere invention of our own imagination. We arrest every thought as spear point—anything that could possibly trigger an opposing threat to our redeemed identity and innocence is taken captive. The caliber of our weapon is empowered by the revelation of the ultimate consequence of the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (Mirror)   In your struggles, don’t try harder, but instead give in quicker to Christ-in-you. “Jesus, I can’t do this, but you’ve already won every battle for me, so I trust you to lead me into a place of freedom from the thoughts that have tried to hold me captive.”   Exercise: Sit with Jesus and ask him what lies you’ve been believing. Wait until you have a sense of what that is. Now, agree with Jesus-in-you that these lies have no hold on you and renounce them (“I don’t agree with the lie that…” speak it out loud) Next, ask Jesus to reveal to you what the truth is instead. His truth is the only one that sets you free! (speak out loud the truth he reveals)   Remember that this freedom comes over time as we agree more and more with the truth of who God sees us as, so give yourself plenty of grace and choose to trust that God is bringing to completion what he begun in you just as he promised he would!   With Love,   Pastor Brent

BACK TO THE BEGINNING: AWAKENING TO THE LIKENESS OF WHO WE REALLY ARE - by Joel Pollard

Genesis 1:26-28 in The Message says, “God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature (likeness). So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth. God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” God’s ultimate achievement was to reproduce Himself in Genesis. When He wanted to make us, He spoke to the substance from which we were made and spoke to Himself and said, “Us”, bring forth man—our image, our likeness. Mankind’s first conscious moment is when “God blessed man”. The Hebrew here is barach, meaning “kneel, act of adoration”, so when someone wanted to honor somebody else, they’d kneel and bear gifts, bringing gifts to honor. The first thing God did when He first created us is He adored us. The most natural thing for beings that are made in the image and likeness of God is to reflect adoration that they receive. The only accurate way to value our Creator is to reflect the adoration and honor that He gives us. The matter of the fact started with the lie in the Garden. Adam and Eve were already like God. They fellowshipped with God in the middle of the evening but the serpent tricked them, “If you eat of this, you’ll be like God”. They were tricked and bought into the lie of the very thing that they already were—they already had the likeness of the Father, Son & Spirit. In looking at The Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil, our mindsets can tend to trick us to the point where we think if we can eat off that tree, that we would be like God. What is happening when we do this? We’re trying to become who we already are; we’re trying to acquire the fullness that’s already in us; if I can just do this one thing or try harder, then maybe it will be enough to be acceptable or worthy before God. We need to believe the truth about ourselves that reveals our authenticity of who we really are, rather than the lies that have no value and keeps us in a counterfeit-mindset of captivity. How does God do that? Through being part of a healthy family, healthy connections, vulnerability, honesty, transparency, receiving unadulterated love, learning, unlearning lots of things and being led by Holy Spirit. If we allow the perception in our minds that God is withholding the Tree of Life because He wants it for Himself, obviously this Tree of Life, God desires above all other trees, then the tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil becomes the most desirable tree there is because we’re reflecting the desires we perceive. When we lose sight of God, we start looking at and reflecting one another. The truth is that we are made as beings to reflect. The purpose for likeness is to introduce us into the place of the greatest intimacy where adoration is met with adoration; where affirmation is met with affirmation; where love is received, reproduced and reflected back; where the creative movements within God finds a creative resonance within us. The Holy Spirit is resounding to us in our heart, “Quit trying to become who you already are”. Until we realize that we’re enough, we’ll keep pretending to be what we’re not. It’s not about trying to become, it’s about knowing who we already are. The only agenda God has is to set us free, to be fully and truly ourselves. He has no suspicion towards His own image and likeness. What is the Magnificent Trinity revealing and restoring to us? The glory of the perfect Garden where we live and thrive from a place of wholeness, of purpose, calling, destiny that we were formed with before the foundation of the world, formed in the likeness and image of the Father, Son & Spirit. It has always been God’s plan, desire and design for us all along to live from the  Garden of Glory. We are to rule and reign in this world. to incarnate Jesus in this world for it is, “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). When we no longer say “yes” to things our spirits are saying “no” to, that’s the beginning of eating from the Tree of Life. Holy Spirit, thank you for continuing to lead and guide us into our very likeness where we live, move and have our being. In the words of Wm Paul Young, “Thank you Holy Spirit, and we’ll have more please.” With Love, Joel

HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING! - by Suzanne Lokker

Back in the early days of my faith journey, while sitting around dinner one night, my pastor friend, Danny, asked me “What do you want to do?” The question was asked with regard to ministry goals. It took me forever to respond—wrestling with an answer that I wanted to be integrous to what was in my heart. Finally, at the end of the evening I blurted out, “I want to call out treasures in people!” Little did I understand then, that what I was declaring would be both the catalyst and rallying cry in my heart that leads me into Papa’s heart for His children. I received a glimpse of what the prophetic is. Simply put, I had prophesied over myself! I didn’t know that that was what I had done since my grid for the prophetic was at the preschool level at best at the time! I listened to a message from Dano McCollam on Prophesy’s Purpose that helped me more in my understanding of the prophetic. (Bethel Church, August 6, 2023, Dano McCollam) Dano elaborated on some points that he found for prophesying. I’ll list the four points here and you can listen to the message on Bethel TV or on YouTube. “4 Reasons Why God Wants Every Son and Daughter to Prophesy” Restore dignity Reveal identity Revive and Refresh the weary (1 Corinthians 14:3) Release the new thing (Isaiah 42:9) The journey into Papa’s heart is always a good journey to be on. What you will discover on that journey--as you are courageous enough to embark on it—is how much your heart beats like His. And you will see how His love in you is expressed and flows so uniquely through you! I believe in our prophetic culture we call each other up into greatness. The more we agree with the treasure we are as Papa God sees us, the more we are able to see and call out the treasure in those around us.   Happy Treasure Hunting!

DIVINE OBJECTIVITY - by Bill Hernandez

I have been hearing in my mind over and over that scripture in Phil 4:8 on having our minds dwell on various good things and that peace would follow. In the past I have always seen that scripture as a kind of self pep talk exercise or a way to get my mind out of negative or impure thoughts. It was a way of sanitizing my brain before the Lord. Recently though the Lord has provided a different angle to this scripture. He showed me that when He speaks, for me to affirm what He is saying as true and that when I actually do, peace and calm truly do follow. For instance any time I am experiencing trauma or drama in my thoughts and emotions, He may say, “All is well. I am here. Be still and know that I am God.” In actually repeating and affirming what He said such as, “I believe you Lord that all is truly well and that you are with me. I chose to believe you and not any of the negative stuff that is coming up inside me. Thank you for being on my side.” I then found all the trauma and drama fade away and then I would be okay because I believed His truth rather than my inner lies! He then showed me that the “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…” were actually all the things He was currently saying to me – rhema words, the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking at the present moment. His words are true and noble, etc.. I then just declare that I believe Him and then He does the rest bringing peace, calm, wisdom, understanding and anything else that brings me into what I call Divine Objectivity. Try it. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:4-8

Click to visit Bill's site: Whisperoflove.org

FREE INDEED - by Bill Hernandez

- Galatians  5:1 - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ********* We have all the time in world to work through our issues before the Lord without fear because the Lord is fully dedicated to our freedom and wholeness. All we need to do is remain connected to Him through all our processes and never bail out. Life dominating issues may not resolve themselves according to our time table or the time table of our friends and families. The Lord doesn’t have a time limit on when we resolve various issues. We need to adjust our expectations in light of what we might be dealing with. Deep brokenness that has been around for decades, could take many years to overcome because there are so many deep facets of our lives that the Lord is working on. If you were abused as a child, working through trust issues could take many years to resolve into adulthood. Various addictions that have dominated your life can also take many years to work through. It could be behavioral issues such as anger, pride or sexual habits. It’s not unusual for there to be many fall backs along the way. This is where many people can withdraw from the Lord because they may disqualify themselves thinking He has as well. If you keep on falling, you have not committed the unpardonable sin, nor have you been given over to the devil or that you are truly a lost cause. We are our worse judge through perfectionism and legalism. This could arise from self loathing, self acceptance issues, self hatred, guilt, shame, self condemnation among others where we put ourselves in the dog house. We may feel that the Lord has gotten fed up with us or is deeply disappointed because we keep on making mistakes in our walk. Nothing could be further from the truth. You may need compassionate counseling, comfort, care, prayer, discipleship and support. The Lord is all for it for you. What is so amazing is the truth of Gal 5:1 that Jesus set the stage for us to become free. We have over arching permission to work out our stuff under the umbrella of freedom in Jesus. It will surely lead to more freedom. Our freedom in Him leads us to freedom that begets more freedom. We are on the freedom road!! If you are struggling, in the midst of that you are under Him where in time you will get more and more victory and change. In I John 3:5-6 it says, “But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.” You have a relationship with Him and you may feel it’s not perfect. No worries because you are living in Him. Since you live in Him, guaranteed your life will change bit by bit, week by week, month by month, year by year, decade by decade. All the while if you stumble and get back up, you are changing and your freedom in Him is shining brighter and brighter. He always says to get back up and keep on going. In Mat 7:7-11 is says to keep on seeking, knocking and asking and that our Father in heaven will indeed give us good gifts. Be persistent in asking Him to help you with whatever it is. Be convinced that you are in His arms no matter what because you belong to Him. His perfect love doesn’t involve punishment. If you make a mistake, He will not reject you. Don’t reject you either then. Always run back to Him and let Him hold you. Get back up and keep on loving those around you. You aren’t a phony. You are a man or woman who is growing up and taking up your true self in Him and you are always filled with the Holy Spirit. Keep on practicing His presence by always coming to Him with openness and confession. His presence is the hope of restoration and growth. If you hang around Him, His light will rub off on you so get up and keep on dialoguing with Him. Such is the freedom we have in Jesus. You are adored by Him. Be blessed in your freedom walk! Bill Hernandez

WHAT DOES CHURCH LOOK LIKE? - by Karena Lout

“Let love and kindness be the motivation behind all that you do.” 1 Corin. 16: 14 (TPT)   “Agape is your genesis. Loving everyone around you is what you are all about.” (The Mirror) Last Saturday was our Back to School/ Family Day event. We gave away 55 backpacks, school supplies and clothes to children in our community. It was such a great day! At one point, I looked around the room and there were children playing, a few moms receiving prayer, a little girl getting her face painted, parents connecting and a lot of fun. I thought to myself, “this is church!” We tend to think church needs to consist of a worship set and a message. But throughout the bible, the church is never defined by a service or a building. It’s the people.   We’ve all wondered what revival looks like. Sometimes we’re waiting for a promise that could be right in front of us. Maybe it won’t come in the form we thought it would. God is always bigger than the boxes we try to build around him. Revival can simply be allowing God to soften your heart toward someone you’ve been offended with. It can look like loving your neighbor well. I encourage you to ask Jesus what it looks like in your life.    Thank you again for your generous donations, love, help and support! You each shine so brightly.   With so much love and gratitude, Karena

THE OTHER TREE (A Story About the Goodness of God) - by Brent Lokker

I want to tell you a story about a good, good Father who loved his children so much that he wanted them to share the same heart he and Jesus and Holy Spirit share together. So, he created them from the essence of his light and love with a desire for them to learn to live from their shared heart.   Like every good parent would do, this exceptionally good Father wanted to teach his children what was life-giving and what was not, what was good for them and what could hurt them. He planted a tree in the middle of the garden. It was a Knowledge Tree—the Knowledge of Good and Evil (or as our Jewish scholarly friends would say, the Knowledge of Order and Disorder). But God didn’t put it there for the reason you may think. He actually instructed them not to eat of its fruit and he had a perfectly good reason to do so since everything he does is motivated by his perfect love.   For one thing, Father God knew that to be exposed to and aware of the vastness of a realm of all that’s evil and good, all that’s chaotic and ordered, would be far too much for his children, and it’s not something he wanted them to be burdened with.   Although God’s first children listened to the deception of a crafty snake and ate the fruit of this Knowledge tree, don’t worry!  Though their choice was to try doing life outside of intimacy with their Father, he never walked away from them. He’s not that kind of dad. Though they felt lost and scared and ashamed because of their decision to try out life on their own terms, God never lost his children.   Yet, the question remains. Why put this other tree in the garden and restrict them from eating of it in the first place?   Because of the perfect union of an eternal love shared by the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit, the Creator knew the only way his kids could truly engage in this kind of life-giving love was to choose to. And to be able to choose to, one must be able to choose not to. This good, good Father put a tree in the middle of his over-the-top gorgeous garden with a delectable provision of yummies for their tummies because he wanted them to continually make a choice to trust him.   He knew that his kids could only give their hearts to him unreservedly if they trusted him. So, with purposeful intent, God placed this knowledge tree in the middle of the garden that they would walk past daily. Yahweh didn’t do this to tempt them but so they would have the opportunity to trust him again and again in the midst of their daily lives—even in moments when they didn’t understand, sometimes even when a deceptive lie from a ruthless deceiver was lurking.   When we observe the world our own lives and try to assess it with all our own version of knowledge without the clarity of the Father’s good heart——especially when deception creeps in—all can surely look bleak. But our heavenly Father is always good to us as his children. He’s good when we understand and he’s good when we don’t understand (which happens with much more frequency).  Let’s keep choosing to believe in the goodness of God and in the reality of his eternal kingdom of light and love even when it doesn’t always appear that way. In so doing, we are maturing as his sons and daughters who will accurately represent the truth of his heart and his ways.   “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (Message)

DWELL ON THESE THINGS - by Todd Benjamin Lout

Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].  PHILIPPIANS 4:8 & 9 - Amplified -   This passage in the Bible opens a door for us to live in a way that leads to a better life.  For sure we will experience countless things that cause our meditation to dip into the negative....way into it. But here we are given a key to rising above circumstances, rather than allowing them to overtake us.  I don't believe God is expecting us to deny that hard things are taking place, or that certain sins are tempting and so on.  What our Maker is telling us is that we don't have to dwell in the muck and mire. Even King David, who went through some very tough trials, would "vent" about what's happening, but he would end up releasing them through praise once again. This ultimately worked out for him.  God has recipes for a better way of living all through His word.  Philippians 4:8 & 9 is one of them.  He  knows what staying in a negative mindset can do to us. As someone who has been on blood pressure meds for 20 years, I know too!  Doctors have run tests on me for 5 hours at a time. They would have me think of things that stress me out. My bp would skyrocket. Then, they would instruct me to focus on things that are life-giving to me, (a beach, mountains, being creative, solitude), and take my blood pressure again in a half hour.  The dramatic drop in my blood pressure has been shocking.  Thoughts have much to do with how the physical body functions.  We all know that anxiety can cause ulcers even.  Dwell on these things that produce life. It sounds nearly impossible for many, I know, but it is possible. We just need to invite Holy Spirit in to work with us to break life-long bad habits in our thinking.  We are kids of the King. We can certain take authority over our minds and declare that we have the mind of Christ (the mind of the Anointed One and His Anointing).  When we are intentional about this shift, God will help us with this.  Eventually we will see that we're handling things differently, approaching people in a better way, staying away from harmful things, and so on. Also, people will be drawn to us when we have a higher / positive mindset. God says it. Paul says it. Science proves it. Let's do it!

AS GOD HEALS OUR HEARTS, OUR FAMILIES HEAL TOO - by Sarah Breon

It boggles the mind that God entrusts us humans to raise tiny human beings. When we bring them home from the hospital their innocence and dependence on us inspires awe and wonder. “How can God trust me to do a good job?” “How do I make sure I don’t mess up this little life?” we ask ourselves. Or sometimes we contemplate,”how can I make sure this little baby is protected from all the harm, negative messages, or even from the painful lessons I have had to learn the hard way in this life?” Our desire is to do whatever we can to raise this little person in all the best ways of God’s love, peace, and joy and make sure they don’t suffer or struggle in any ways that we have. We feel this same weight of responsibility when we are positioned by God to influence other people’s lives, perhaps as a teacher, a coach, an aunt, or an uncle. God could put us in so many different types of situations where we are called to shine with his love and demonstrate his ways in relationships. In raising kids I discovered that the responsibility of caring for other lives can indeed feel very weighty. But God didn’t choose us because he didn’t have anyone else to be his representative. I believe he allows us to parent and be the primary influencer in little lives, knowing we will feel confused, clueless, frustrated, or even hopeless at times. But in our helpless state we will learn to trust him in greater ways, which will cause us to grow deeper in our walks with him and show us more of his beautiful, fatherly heart of love and commitment toward us. Of course we are not all called to be biological parents. But all of these truths apply to us anytime we invest in close relationships where we are impacting others. This verse from Isaiah is so reassuring of the guarantee we have in our relationship with God:   He will care for you as a shepherd tends his flock, gathering the weak lambs and taking them in his arms. He carries them close to his heart and gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11 TPT In Your Family Can Heal, I document my and my husband’s journey of trying really hard to be good parents, using all the teachings and information we could collect in order to parent in healthier ways than we were raised. But all of the left brain knowledge only brought us so far once our three kids got a little older and started to have independent thoughts and ideas. Once they  hit the pre teen years, unresolved pain in the childhood parts of our own hearts as parents began to be triggered. The most anointed teachings could not get us unstuck from the many negative emotions we started living from, such as fear, anger, self-pity, and shame.  By the time the kids were 10-12  they had stopped sharing their hearts with us and were hiding their struggles and mistakes. We could see our family culture was not a place of connection, peace, or joy. As the kids reached high school age, I became more like an enforcer, and my husband practiced ways to check out from the pain of the disconnection and feelings of helplessness that ensued.     Our unresolved pain from our pasts was propelling us to react to their struggles with fear,control, and denial. So they learned to keep their own pain on the inside and cope with it in ways that brought more shame and disconnection from our family.  It was so painful to see our kids struggling with deep anxiety, perfectionism, addictions to pornography, and anger. But they didn’t feel safe enough to talk with us about their problems.    In desperation I cried out to God for help. Isaiah again provided so much comfort and awareness of God’s nearness and involvement in our family:    “Rise up in splendor and be radiant, for your light has dawned, and Yahweh’s glory now streams from you! Look carefully! Darkness blankets the earth, and thick gloom covers the nations, but Yahweh arises upon you and the brightness of his glory appears over you!”Nations will be attracted to your radiant light and kings to the sunrise-glory of your new day. Lift up your eyes higher! Look all around you and believe, for your sons are returning from far away and your daughters are being tenderly carried home. Watch as they all gather together, eager to come back to you!  Isaiah 60:1–4 TPT   God’s heart is for us to walk in light and victory in our relationships. He challenged me to take responsibility for my reactions, my emotions, and my own wounds from the past. He showed me that, although I had taught my kids a lot of good things about Him and His ways, I was still parenting out of past pain. I tended to control them because deep inside I was really scared they would make mistakes that I couldn’t fix. I thought I was trusting God with them, but because I hadn’t yet invited God to bring truth to many of the lies that still resided in my heart, I was just replicating the fear based parenting that I had experienced.  So much changed as we learned to humble ourselves before God and ask him questions about the fear and the shame and invite him to bring the truth and needed transformation. As we changed and learned how to create love bonds instead of fear bonds, our kids wanted to be more connected to us. God has been amazingly faithful to bring restoration to our relationships with our kids.    We are  still on the journey of healing with God, as we all are. I am so grateful that He truly walks with us as we parent our kids and pursue connection in the other close relationships in our lives.   If what I shared has made you curious and wanting to see some transformation in your own heart, here are some activation questions you can use to interact with God and invite him in for more healing.   Activation: Is there a relationship with a child in your life that feels painful? Or perhaps there is a relationship with a spouse or a parent or friend that feels disconnected?       *Ask God: what do you want me to know about you in this relationship?     *What do you want me to know about me?     *Is there a lie I am believing about this relationship?     *Where did that lie come from?     *Let’s bring that lie to Jesus and let him give us the truth to replace it.     *What’s the truth, God?     *Is there any action step you want me to take: a conversation, repentance,      forgiveness, thankfulness   Click to check out Sarah's book on Amazon