"When I'm with my Daddy, my innocence is restored." - Rick Pino
When I listen to those words it makes me so happy. God makes us innocent. The religious culture teaches us that God is a big man in the sky, who is far away and impersonal. He just sits up there and sometimes He gets angry at us for our sin. But the truth is God is madly in love with us, He is our daddy. He sings to us, He shouts joy over us, and dances around us. He meets us where were at.
Bill Johnson says God wants to give us the gift of innocence and adventure, something I ask for daily. People let their sin become bigger than God, and that is never true. While sin is wrong and it causes damage to our relationship with God and the ones we love, Gods focus is never sin. His focus is always on us. Lets say Adam sleeps with Carol before marriage. Adam spends his days crying and asking for forgiveness, feeling shame, guilt, and sorrow. But Carol realizes what she has done was wrong. She doesn't allow herself to feel guilt and shame. She gets alone with her Daddy, deciding she wants to change. She decides to never give up her virginity until marriage. She encounters her Daddy, and He pours His extravagant love on her. He restores her innocence and virginity. She can go now with the sin erased from her life, she is a virgin once again. Thats how powerful and good our Daddy is, and how not powerful sin is. Sorrow, tears, and remorse are okay as long as you ask for repentance. Repentance means to change the way we think, to basically turn the other way. But guilt and shame are not from God, it only brings condemnation. God sees, and wants us to see, that we have never sinned with the blood of Jesus. It is illegal to bring up sin in our past that God has already dealt with. Our Daddy is so good!
I am so thankful that my Daddy is in love with me!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
speaking into our lives
Eric and Tami Taylor are fictional characters on "Friday Night Lights" but they are very real to me. I just finished season one and was greatly effected. It is a profound series about a small town in Texas that revolves around their families, religion, and most of all the high school football team. While I am not a big football fan, I love the show. It is about so much more than football. It deals with real people in real situations, it is compelling, heart breaking, and authentic. The heart of the show is Eric and Tami Taylor. He is the football coach and she is a high school counselor. They represent a real and true love to every kid on that show. While they are not perfect, it is an amazing representation of marriage. One that I look at and can pray and think "that's what I want!"
I believe the most important people in every persons life, young and old, are parents. The only person that should become more important is Jesus,and after that are spouse and kids. But especially growing up a mother and father are the most important and influential. A mother and father shows us God, love, protection, trust, joy, forgiveness, courage, hope, faith, honor, and are an example of how to live. Without a mother and father children can become afraid, bitter, angry, hateful, full of despair, and so on. But I would suggest parents can not do it alone. We were built to be surrounded by family and community, something this show demonstrates so powerfully. The Taylor's are there to not to replace parents, but to support them. To just be there. To just love them. I am convinced I have the greatest parents in the world, but I also have the best, what I call, spiritual parents. I could not live with one or the other.
Lets honor the people who speak into our lives through their words, actions, and examples. And check out Friday Night Lights!
I believe the most important people in every persons life, young and old, are parents. The only person that should become more important is Jesus,and after that are spouse and kids. But especially growing up a mother and father are the most important and influential. A mother and father shows us God, love, protection, trust, joy, forgiveness, courage, hope, faith, honor, and are an example of how to live. Without a mother and father children can become afraid, bitter, angry, hateful, full of despair, and so on. But I would suggest parents can not do it alone. We were built to be surrounded by family and community, something this show demonstrates so powerfully. The Taylor's are there to not to replace parents, but to support them. To just be there. To just love them. I am convinced I have the greatest parents in the world, but I also have the best, what I call, spiritual parents. I could not live with one or the other.
Lets honor the people who speak into our lives through their words, actions, and examples. And check out Friday Night Lights!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Walking, Leaping, and Praising God!
Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
-Acts 3:1-8
I first heard this verse about four years ago. Mike Prentice read it aloud as we were worshipping and preparing to pray for my miracle for the very first time. It struck my heart and it came alive to me immediately. It came alive for obvious reasons, Peter and John heal a man who was lame from his mothers womb, which is me. But it also came alive for less obvious reasons. Little did I know how much it would mean to me. Obviously I was not healed that day, or any time since that day. But I can always turn to this verse for encouragement. The days following the day I heard this verse the Lord began telling me He wants to heal all of me. He wants to heal me physically but He also wants to heal my soul and my spirit. It was very clear to me. Jesus heals with power and wisdom. Pastor Kris Vallotton received insight and revelation into these verses, and I am going to put it in my own words.
Peter and John had no money. But they did have power and authority. It is just like real currency, they had faith that this man could walk for the very first time. This is what lead to his sozo. Sozo is the greek word for healing, wholeness, recovery and salvation. When Jesus used the word He was not talking about short-term solutions but long-term restorations. It means to be fully saved, healed, and delivered in the spirit, soul, and body. The first thing the man does is walk, he is physically healed. This man is able to walk for the first time because of Peter and John's currency!
The next thing it says is the man leaps. It was not obvious to me why this is significant. Pastor Kris says there is no wasted word in the Bible, every word is an invitation for revelation. He also says the man leaps because at the same time he was healed in his body, he was also healed in his soul. The way I see it is the man was so filled with joy that he had to leap. The joy he had caused his leaping which broke away every chain that was hindering his soul. The healing of the soul is just as important as the salvation. It is possible to be saved without being healed. It is not to say the man or myself is depressed. I experience a lot of joy on a daily basis. But I would be lying if I told you my disease has no effect on me on some days. God is so good that He cares enough to make our soul alive to Him.
And finally the man praises God. This is evidence that he was healed in his spirit. In the Bible it says disease is to your body what sin is to your soul. If I leave sin in my life it hardens my heart. It makes it much harder sometimes to know and be in His presence. I would suggest if disease goes on without taking it to God daily it has the same effect. Some people blame God for their disease and they become bitter. Others think God gave them a disease to make them a better person or some other reason they do not understand. Both are wrong and stupid. I have found the best way to deal and keep my spirit healthy is praising God. I stay thankful no matter what I face without thinking of stupid reasons of why I am not walking yet.
I had no idea how much this verse really spoke into my life when I first heard it. God wants to heal all of us! Yay God!
-Acts 3:1-8
I first heard this verse about four years ago. Mike Prentice read it aloud as we were worshipping and preparing to pray for my miracle for the very first time. It struck my heart and it came alive to me immediately. It came alive for obvious reasons, Peter and John heal a man who was lame from his mothers womb, which is me. But it also came alive for less obvious reasons. Little did I know how much it would mean to me. Obviously I was not healed that day, or any time since that day. But I can always turn to this verse for encouragement. The days following the day I heard this verse the Lord began telling me He wants to heal all of me. He wants to heal me physically but He also wants to heal my soul and my spirit. It was very clear to me. Jesus heals with power and wisdom. Pastor Kris Vallotton received insight and revelation into these verses, and I am going to put it in my own words.
Peter and John had no money. But they did have power and authority. It is just like real currency, they had faith that this man could walk for the very first time. This is what lead to his sozo. Sozo is the greek word for healing, wholeness, recovery and salvation. When Jesus used the word He was not talking about short-term solutions but long-term restorations. It means to be fully saved, healed, and delivered in the spirit, soul, and body. The first thing the man does is walk, he is physically healed. This man is able to walk for the first time because of Peter and John's currency!
The next thing it says is the man leaps. It was not obvious to me why this is significant. Pastor Kris says there is no wasted word in the Bible, every word is an invitation for revelation. He also says the man leaps because at the same time he was healed in his body, he was also healed in his soul. The way I see it is the man was so filled with joy that he had to leap. The joy he had caused his leaping which broke away every chain that was hindering his soul. The healing of the soul is just as important as the salvation. It is possible to be saved without being healed. It is not to say the man or myself is depressed. I experience a lot of joy on a daily basis. But I would be lying if I told you my disease has no effect on me on some days. God is so good that He cares enough to make our soul alive to Him.
And finally the man praises God. This is evidence that he was healed in his spirit. In the Bible it says disease is to your body what sin is to your soul. If I leave sin in my life it hardens my heart. It makes it much harder sometimes to know and be in His presence. I would suggest if disease goes on without taking it to God daily it has the same effect. Some people blame God for their disease and they become bitter. Others think God gave them a disease to make them a better person or some other reason they do not understand. Both are wrong and stupid. I have found the best way to deal and keep my spirit healthy is praising God. I stay thankful no matter what I face without thinking of stupid reasons of why I am not walking yet.
I had no idea how much this verse really spoke into my life when I first heard it. God wants to heal all of us! Yay God!
Monday, August 10, 2009
inspired by "Julie & Julia"
Yesterday I went to go see “Julie & Julia” with my mom. It was a great movie. It was funny, romantic, and inspirational. It focused a lot about cooking and writing, two things I am passionate about. They both bring me joy and heart ache. I am really grateful for my blog. When I write in it I feel as though it is more for me than anyone else. Just as Julie Powell aspired to be a writer, she turned to her blog. My dream is to be a writer, to share my life, and to hopefully show people who Jesus really is.
I start fresh today. So often I do not write because I think I have nothing to say. And to be honest I really do not enjoy it, that is the heart ache. I write because it is hands down the easiest and best way I express myself. God has told me to write a book. And it is the most common prophetic word I receive. It brings me joy to share, and to know I am stepping into my destiny. Every person has a story to tell. For the most part I love talking about myself, and it is easy for me. Writing this book is an adventure because I am living it out.
Cooking is a huge joy to me. I absolutely love it. The heart ache comes because for now I can’t do it myself and I am not able to eat. But I believe I will be able to. When I walk I will make the most amazing meal for my family, I can not wait. My other dream is to have a resort with some of the best food in the world.
Pray that I persevere. That I love, laugh, dream, risk all, write, and cook.
I start fresh today. So often I do not write because I think I have nothing to say. And to be honest I really do not enjoy it, that is the heart ache. I write because it is hands down the easiest and best way I express myself. God has told me to write a book. And it is the most common prophetic word I receive. It brings me joy to share, and to know I am stepping into my destiny. Every person has a story to tell. For the most part I love talking about myself, and it is easy for me. Writing this book is an adventure because I am living it out.
Cooking is a huge joy to me. I absolutely love it. The heart ache comes because for now I can’t do it myself and I am not able to eat. But I believe I will be able to. When I walk I will make the most amazing meal for my family, I can not wait. My other dream is to have a resort with some of the best food in the world.
Pray that I persevere. That I love, laugh, dream, risk all, write, and cook.
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