The River, The Cocoon and The Navigator - by guest contributor Sarah Yang

For most of my life I believed that life's journey took place on train tracks.  The path was linear with specific sub-stations to mark my progress in life (i.e. get an education -> get a job -> get married -> get a house -> have kids.)  Therefore, I was constantly trying to figure out God’s will so I could be at the right place at the right time with the right people on the right train so I could make all the right stops and eventually get to “Destiny Central Station.”  I would know when I finally got to my destination when people around me chanted, “You’ve arrived!” God could be my Conductor so long as He made all the stops at the sub-stations of “success.”  But I came to realize when my life got derailed and became a “train wreck,” that this God I believed in was the make-believe god of karma (do good, get good.)  It has nothing to do with the real God; it is completely founded upon my performance.  And if whoever you think is God can be shaken, it's not really God. That’s when God showed me that His path is more like a river.  In a river, there are infinite paths that you can take but you can always trust the current.  The current will always get you to where you want to go.  No matter what path we choose, as long as we stay in the raft with Jesus as our guide and remain in the current, we’ll get to our destination.  That current is His Love, that destination is His Heart, and the One navigating is not in a rush.  You are safer in the river with Him than anywhere else even though it might lead you into the dark and unknown.   What is dark and unknown?  Cocoons.  Feel like you are hanging by a thread?  Shelved?  In the dark?  Have no clue what's going on but everything in and around you is changing?  So does a caterpillar that’s becoming a butterfly.  And the Invisible Thread that’s holding you in your process of transformation is stronger than all the steel that exists on planet earth.  So don’t shortcut the process – a butterfly freed too soon will never take flight. The other option is religion.  Religion is a “Mirror of Self-Evaluation and Comparison” that is only able to reflect back your performance and productivity.  This mirror also magnifies your flaws and turns molehills in your character into mountains of defects.  You never feel good enough no matter how hard you try because you were never made to behold a mirror… you were made to behold a Person.  You were created for Son-gazing not mirror-gazing.  There is no formula but there is a wild adventure.  We are invited into a journey where the River is His Love, the raft is the cocoon of His Presence, and our faithful companion and guide is Jesus.  So enjoy the ride.  :)

It's Not the Critic Who Counts by Pastor Karena Lout

I’ve been really impacted by this quote by Theodore Roosevelt; “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself on a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” I’ll be the first to tell you that I’ve fallen down many times. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’m actually okay with that because I know I wouldn’t grow otherwise. We tend to spotlight our failures and minimize the great courage it actually took to step into the “arena”.  Sometimes the loudest voice we hear is the voice of criticism; whether it’s our own thoughts or the shouts of others. I’ve been criticized and I’ve also been the critic. Criticism is the easier road because it requires nothing from you. It’s easy to stand on the sidelines and point out a problem. But it takes great courage and vulnerability to step into the arena. In Numbers 13, Moses sends out 12 tribal leaders to scout out the land of Canaan, their Promised land. They checked it out to see what the land was like, if it was inhabitable and what kind of enemies they were up against. They report back to Moses that the land is fruitful but there’s giants living there that they can’t overthrow. So the Israelites began yelling and complaining and grumbling. They couldn’t see a way out and end up in the wilderness. The reality was that they could overthrow their enemies. Caleb and Joshua were confident they could conquer the land.  “But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.” Numbers 14:24. Perspective is everything. Some see a problem, while others see an opportunity. If you are presented with a problem, it’s usually because you hold the answer, the promise. We are living in some pretty intense times. We don’t need to ignore that problems exist. But Jesus is calling us as sons and daughters to survey the land, access the damage and He will give us solutions to remedy some things. Sons and daughters take ownership. You really do have what it takes to step into the arena. Jesus will give you grace when you mess up and courage to get back up when you fall. I pray the loudest voice you hear will be the voice of truth and encouragement. You got this!                                                     Cheering you on, Karena

Tetelestai by Pastor Brent Lokker

Just before Jesus entrusted his spirit to His Father on the cross, He spoke one word that would dramatically alter the course of human History in one instant:

"Tetelestai"

"IT IS FINISHED!"

That word, Tetelestai, means "I've done it!", "I've completed the task!", "I've fully accomplished the goal!"

What was that task, that goal given to Jesus by His Heavenly Father?

To live out every single detail of the law in our place, to make the full payment for sin in our place, to die our death for us so that we will never taste death, and to redeem God's original intent for each one of us so we can truly live--right here and right now!

All this was done in full on our behalf long before we were alive to vote on the matter! We were graciously included in all the benefits of Christ's perfect sacrifice that we get to feast on every day of our lives! Who is this God?? Who is this beautiful Savior??

Tetelestai is in the perfect tense which describes a PAST completed act with PRESENT effect, emphasizing that the past completed event of Christ's death on the Cross has ongoing "right now" benefits as well as permanent effects!

We have a lifetime ahead of us to explore, unwrap and unveil the mysteries of all that Christ finished for us on the cross. But know this: You are already accepted, perfect, holy and righteous according to how the Father sees you by His own choice!

My message last Saturday was titled, "God's Part & Our Part" or "All Finished and In Process"

(you can listen to it here: http://blazingfire.org/podcasts).

This week I came across this article from our friend W. Paul Young (author of The Shack) which clearly shows how, over time, legalism (trying to be good enough by what we do instead of simply believing what Christ has done for us) has crept back into the church to coerce us into doing God's part which was never the plan.

Here's that article:

I am intrigued by words, some of which are considered to be omnipresent and “holy” and very “Christian” …even if they aren’t even in the Bible. At all. I am thinking of one word in particular at this moment that dominates the religious landscape and has a solid foothold in the rest of the western culture as well. This word is so powerful we assume it was one of those words that’s inherently tied to the character of God.

The word I’m thinking of is not in the Bible, although it has slipped into a few English translations.

What is the word? Responsibility.

Neither “responsibility” or any of its derivations, including “responsible,” make a single appearance.

The etymology of “responsibility” is French, probably a Latin derived 13th Century participle. It didn’t gain common traction until the time of the industrial revolution, when work and progress became paramount. From there it morphed into a performance production word.

Are we surprised that religion grabbed a hold of it as a very useful motivator? Even using it so proficiently that it is now assumed to be one of those holy words? I’m not.

Instead of responsibility, the Bible chooses to focus on another action: the ability to respond. This is entirely different.

Responsibility is a set of expectations enforced from the outside. It’s a law or code of behavior and often used to define a good person and communicate shame for poor performance.

But a response arises from within. It is dynamic and relational. Because of who we are as human beings indwelt by Jesus (John 14:20), we have an ability to respond, not a responsibility. This has massive implications and is implicitly an invitation to adventures in living.

Remember that today. Your call is not a responsibility. It is your willing and joyful response.

Hope for Healing Testimonies by Pastor Karena Lout

Recently I was reading the story of the blind man Bartimaeus. There are two things that I love about this story. Though he was physically blind, he wasn’t spiritually blind. As Jesus walked by, Bartimaeus knew that He held the power to heal him. In his desperation, he yells out in Mark 10:48, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus’ response is the second part I love about this. He says in verse 51,“What do you want me to do for you?” Don’t you think it was obvious that Bartimaeus needed sight? But I believe Jesus can’t resist when we’re willing to express our needs to Him. Admittedly, I’ve had difficulty in this area. Expressing your needs can feel pretty vulnerable, especially if you’ve been disappointed in the past. But as we experienced last weekend during the healing conference with the Dews, God wants to restore hope to the places we’ve been disappointed, specifically in places we need healing. When we move past self-sufficiency and recognize our need for Jesus, He shows up in extravagant ways. Philippians 4:6 in the NLT says it perfectly, “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done.” I pray you would have eyes to see and a heart that recognizes Jesus as your Healer. I also pray that you would have courage to call out to Him when you are in need as He begins to renew hope in your heart. He doesn’t disappoint.                                                                                       Love, Karena HEALING TESTIMONIES: As Bill and Carol Dew empowered us to go heal the sick and prayed for our own healing last weekend, we saw God move in powerful ways!

Pam Linker “During Bill’s prayer, I felt God say, "stand up,” so I did. At first I needed to lean on others for my balance, but then I knew it was okay to let go. I did and stood by myself for a few moments!! (Pam is in a wheelchair due to an amputation of her right foot.) That felt amazing...but what was even more amazing was I FELT NO PAIN!!! NO phantom pain, no back pain, no hip pain!!  No pain at all! And that continues today, NO PAIN!!  YAY GOD!! “

Art Fuller’s femur was healed and he can now run without pain! Before he couldn’t walk without pain and a limp.

Manuel’s wife, Claudia was healed of severe arch pain that has caused her to walk in pain for the past 20 years. She is 80% better! Gary DeGuzman’s rotator cuff was healed! Manuel Garcia was blind in his right eye and now he can see partially! He is attending our Equipping School and his eyesight was getting clearer during class. Renee Jabaut was healed of arthritic pain in her fingers!

Life in the Spirit by Pastor Russ Fochler

In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they are about to receive the Holy Spirit.  While prophets and patriarchs had longed for millennia to see this “Promised One”, “The Prophet”, “The Messiah”, only a few close disciples actually lived life with Him for three years.   And now Jesus explains that He must die a sacrificial death and return to His Father.  Astoundingly, Jesus tells them: “It is better for you that I go” -- so they can receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7).

From the disciples’ perspective, what could possibly be better than living in daily fellowship with Jesus?

Jesus lived intimately with Holy Spirit and the Father.  As a human being in a mortal body, Jesus had limited Himself to be one place at a time.  But, as Jesus’ followers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; each one now enters into “new life” – life in the Spirit.  We now have continual access to Jesus and Father God through the Spirit.

Here are two quotes from C. Baxter Kruger’s book “The Shack Revisited” about what Holy Spirit means to us:

“The Holy Spirit walks with us as we are, not as we are supposed to be or as we pretend to be on Sunday, but as we are in our strong-willed blindness, independence, and judgment.  And she works in the invisible world of the heart in order that we may encounter Jesus, and experience — against our own prejudices — the life he shares with us in his relationship with his Father.” (pg 86).

“According to the Scriptures, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, led and empowered by the Spirit, given great joy by the Spirit, cast out demons by the Spirit, heard his Father in the Spirit, and offered himself to his Father by the power of the Spirit.” (pg 89)

As I shared in my talk last Saturday, each one of these experiences of Jesus with the Holy Spirit are also meant for us!  This includes being conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Really.  Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:5-6: “Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born (Greek γεννάω gennáō – procreated/conceived of the father and by extension; born) of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (NKJV)

What does “Life in the Spirit” look like for you?  How have you experienced the Holy Spirit leading you, empowering you, giving you great joy?   Are you aware of the Holy Spirit setting people free from evil spirits through you?  Have you been “in the Spirit” and heard your Abba speaking to you/about you? 

Like you, I desire more.  I know one key is “tuning in” and noticing the Spirit’s ways with us.  This life in the Spirit is meant to be both adventurous and grounded in God’s love for us.  

What adventures await you each day?  Stay tuned….

Fresh Manna by Pastor Susan Fochler

  

Years ago while taking a class on inner healing, a woman told me that if a person wasn’t excited about reading the Bible, their heart was hard.  That comment offended me, because, at the time, I wasn’t all that excited about reading The Word, but I sure didn’t want to think my heart was hard.  So I shrugged off her comment and decided she was wrong and went on my merry way.  But her comment stayed with me.

You Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Set You Free!
Since then, I’ve come to appreciate how much the Word can be an incredible source of healing and inspiration.  The Word is Truth, but it is Spirit also.  When I open up my heart to really hear how much God first, understands and empathizes with what I am going through, but then, secondly, shows how His truth trumps my limited perception, I am set free.  Both His compassion and His answers are amazingly woven together throughout the Scriptures.  In receiving what He has to say, however, my heart must be yielded and ready to receive.

More than Words: Spirit and Life
The BIble says it is the “Sword” of the Spirit  in Eph. 6:17, a literal spiritual weapon that we all have access to.  It is so powerful that Jesus used Scripture to counter satan’s every argument when He was being tempted in the wilderness.  When Jesus told satan, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes down from the mouth of God”, He wasn’t just quoting Scripture, He was feeling it, believing it, living it.  He knew, from the depths of His being, that His Father’s words would sustain Him in a way nothing else could.

Do you have a problem?  It is written...
I was going through something recently when I got in touch with old pain and feelings of inadequacy and “not being enough”.  I asked the Lord to show me in His word what I needed to know.  He led me to the parable of the loaves and the fishes, where the little boy offers all that he has to Jesus; a few fish and loaves of bread.  I could so relate, seeing the need, but feeling I had little to offer.

More than Enough
The truth of the Kingdom far outshines reality on earth.  Those few morsels fed a multitude as Jesus blessed it, with overflow.  As I meditated on these verses I could feel the Truth touch me deeply.  I was no different than that little boy.  My few fish and loaves really were enough.  More than enough.  It didn’t make any sense in the natural, but in our King’s Realm my weakness will always be enough.  God’s words of life have the power to conquer the words of death that have been spoken over you.

I bless you all to be able to open up your hearts to the Truth in a deeper way as you open up the pages of your Bible.  Not by trying harder, but by yielding more.
May you all be mightily blessed with knowing how tangible, how powerful and how custom-designed for you His truth is!

                                                                  

Love Is Taking Down The Walls! by Pastor Brent Lokker

This week, I received an email from someone in our Blazing Fire family who wanted to share with me what she saw and experienced during worship this past Saturday night.  It paints a picture of where the Lord has so faithfully been taking us these past few years together:

The walls around our hearts - the blanket of discouragement - was tangible to me when I entered the church, but our worship that Eric Perales lead us in changed all that!

As we sang the first song about how everything in our lives are tied to praise because of how much bigger & stronger Papa is than the darkness & difficulties we face - I could feel the place many of us were in - the blanket of heaviness that dulls our hearing & our receiving if we stay focused on that heaviness - but we didn't! 

We sang "Spirit, break out, tear our walls down". I saw a rainbow stream burst forth from our bellies that completely encompassed each of us, swallowing up the walls. This stream is a picture of our true self - one with Holy Spirit breaking out of the confines of the soul to take its place of prominence. The picture represents the restoration of the soul to its rightful place of rest & dependence upon Holy Spirit.

When we sang about tearing down the walls, I was feeling uncomfortable with the idea of tearing down walls that were placed there to protect me - even when they are actually harming me. But seeing Holy Spirit break out from the depths of my being to completely surround and engulf those walls made me feel so very safe and truly protected. Fear is consumed by Love; discouragement by Hope, and suddenly the sound barrier is broken. Suddenly the words that convey hope and truth to my inner parts are finally heard deep on the inside! By the end of the evening Truth, Hope, Love was washing over us as a congregation!



What an incredible journey we had as a family!! I'm so honored & thankful to be part of such an amazing community. Thank you and the rest of the leaders for living the core values, for risking transparency so that we can be real together! Thank you for the call to return to our first Love, Jesus.

As the worship was winding down last Saturday, Pastor Karena felt the Lord's heart to heal and so we took time to pray for each other.  Later several people shared with us they experienced great relief of pain or total healing of their backs and necks!  When the God of Hope and Peace and Joy and Love invades our hearts and our minds, it impacts our physical bodies as well!

Thanks for continuing to go on this journey with us into the depths of God's heart!

Much Love,

Pastor Brent