everything happens for a reason?

I haven't written anything in a long time. I got tired of this blog and tried starting a new one. I wasn't sure if I liked the name "an empty wheelchair" anymore. I want to be known as a lover of Jesus above anything else. But I just believe an empty wheelchair is such a powerful image. God gave it to me as a promise. I also believe I will write a book with the same name after it manifests. So no, my wheelchair is not empty yet. In fact, I have a new wheelchair waiting for me in my garage. I really hate switching wheelchairs. It's so much a part of who I am it's hard to adjust. I would much rather start walking right now. Jesus already healed me when He died and rose for me. He sufficiently dealt with all disease. I've commanded it to manifest and have had many others do the same. So why am I not walking? I don't know. It would be wrong for me to create a theology based on that question. Being in a wheelchair has taught me so much about life. Many people call me wise, and that wisdom often comes from being in a wheelchair. In high school I wasn't able to go out drinking and partying and hooking up with girls. Deep down I'm happy I still have my virginity and being in a wheelchair has been a great way to keep it. My whole life I've had to rely on people to help me. I've learned that if a person lays down their life to take care of me, our relationship is much richer and deeper because of it. We get to connect on a level a lot of people miss out on. Spinal Muscular Atrophy has shaped me without becoming me. I'm so thankful for every lesson of perseverance, humility, and joy. I learned at a very young age that Jesus is my savior. I learned if I didn't completely rely on Him I could die. I had very little doubt about God because every breath was from Him. I could go on all day about positives from having SMA. They are all true. I used to believe God put me in a wheelchair to learn these lessons and to help me love Him more. NO!!!! Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a disease from hell that has illegally invaded His son's body. God is *so* good He taught me all that despite having a disease. SMA could have ruined my family but it made us stronger in lots of ways. Wow! "Everything happens for a reason" is an extremely damaging lie that many Christians believe. Aunt Sally gets cancer, but Uncle Joe comes to know Jesus because of her love and humility while having cancer. Grandpa Jack lost his house, he leaned on God, and ultimately he learned what it means to be generous. I think you get the idea. You did not get cancer for any reason. I do not have SMA for a reason. God is so big and so good He will use all things for mine and His good. Good things come from disease everyday and people assume that's why they have it. Well that's why Aunt Sally got cancer. Uncle Joe is now saved. NO. Lets stop being impressed with disease and put our eyes on the one who Impresses. God doesn't need disease to teach us humility or our reliance on Him. God gets no glory from me having SMA. He gets glory from my worship. He will get His ultimate glory and reward when I walk. God is so good all the time!

enjoy

A few years ago I went up north with a few of my friends and his family. It was a super awesome time. I love getting to know all my friends families. It can tell us so much about a person. We were having a delicious dinner one night and sharing our hearts. We had a whole conversation about families and what their full potential is. It was truly an awesome time. I felt something being birth in the spirit realm, and my Daddy would always encourage me to cultivate it. We talked about husbands and wives truly loving each other. Families who really love and enjoy one another is the essence of His Kingdom. I know I say this a lot but we need to grasp this truth. If we don't understand that God is a good Daddy, then we will never live out our full destiny. I was born to heal the sick, raise the dead, and bring freedom to broken hearts. Without a strong connection to my Daddy that just seems impossible. But our families and Daddy are not a means to an end. Why do we heal the sick and raise the dead? It brings Him glory. And if you pull into a fatal car accident and raise somebody from the dead, their loved ones will have no doubt God showed up. His goodness gets peoples attention. But the most simple and basic reason we do it is love. I think I try to justify all the reasons my miracle would be a good thing. My parents would have more time for themselves and each other, I could help around the house, I could actually make my own income, I could seriously pursue a beautiful girl, and even learn to drive a car. Daddy wants and likes all those things. But the biggest reason He wants me to walk is simple, He loves me. He actually enjoys me. He wants to run with me and play with me. He wants to share His desires, dreams, and pleasures with me. Whoa! Doesn't that rock you? That kind of ecstasy and intimacy should overflow into our family. We should like being with our family. We're alive to love.

roar with me

Bob Jones is a father to many, and an extraordinary prophet. He gave an incredible word about the upcoming year, which starts this week. The Jewish new year starts this week, and he says they borrowed Gods calendar. He says the new year is the year of the lion. 2009 was the year of the ox, when we plowed our seed. 2010 was the year of the eagle, so we could see where to put our seed. And 2011 will be when mothers and fathers arise to roar to take our land back. I mean, that just makes me giddy. I definitely receive that word! I have a lot of things I want back that was originally mine, so I wrote a few of them down. If you want me to pray for you because something has been stolen, write a comment or send me an email. I would appreciate your prayers as well. It’s time for justice to be brought. Father we receive your word, bring a new level of authority as we roar!

I want to continually fall more in love with Jesus.

I want to walk.

I want justice for my parents to come NOW! I want them to be able to sleep all night, go on vacations, have dates, and I want them to be able to pursue each other to the fullest.

I want to see Laura walk, run, dance, and sing.

I want to pursue my future wife, and love her as a daughter of the King.

I want my generation to fall head over heels in love with Daddy! I want us to honor our mothers and fathers. I want us to know the heartbeat of our Daddy, and to go after it as laid down lovers.

I want us to know and remember what holds us together. Family holds us together. We must be willing to do whatever it takes to protect that.

It’s time for the economy to stop ruling the hearts and minds of so many people. Lets take authority. We need to stop listening to fear, and stop looking to our government. It’s not their job. We break this with generosity. Our Daddy is the richest guy in the world!!!!!!!!!

I want fire and revival to fall on this generation. We must take a stand against ALL sin, disease, and torment. On earth as in Heaven.

a lover first

“God is a lover, looking for a lover… so He fashioned me…”

I was worshiping once, and suddenly I had a vision of me sitting in a chair. Right in front of me was Jesus sitting in another chair. We were basically just hanging out like friends. This vision was very profound to me. I immediately began to cry. Sometimes it’s really hard to imagine being friends with Jesus. As Christians we constantly are trying to honor Him, to carry out His righteousness and justice, and to love others well. It’s so easy to go to church, do Bible study, have a small group, heal the sick, serve the poor, and feel like we are loving God well. But are we? He absolutely commands us to do those things. But we should do those things from love, not for love. As much as possible I always try to make my friends happy. I like doing activities that will please them. Lets take my Dad for example, we both enjoy talking politics because it’s a mutual interest. But my Mom hates politics, so we talk about cooking, or what it will be like when I get off this ventilator and out of my wheelchair. Therefore it’s important to know what pleases our Father. But that’s only half of any friendship. Father is first and foremost a lover, and so are we. As Christians we need to seek His very face. What does it mean to love someone? It means we would do anything for the person we love, take a bullet, fight for their heart, make them their favorite meal, and give them everything we have and everything we are. But so often we don’t say to love someone means that we want to be with them. And with Holy Spirit sometimes it’s hard to just be with Him. He is a person, and has real emotions.

I challenge all of us to seek His face, to be His friend.

family

Families are supposed to be free and powerful. They are supposed to be filled with love, joy, compassion, and the presence of God. Heaven is all about relationships. Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit set the standard very high for healthy relationships. Unfortunately so many have relationships that are not healthy, even in families. Family means a lot more than dad, mom, son, and daughter. But lets start here. I believe there is not one wasted word in the Bible. Every word has a purpose and is an invitation to an encounter with the person of Jesus. Throughout the Bible God is constantly bringing up genealogies. He takes the time to write generation after generation. I'll be honest, I skipped a lot of these when reading the Word. But a few days ago I purposely read them, and then I had a revelation of His goodness. God cares more about our families than we do. Whoa! Most families are crippled with sin, disease, torment, poverty, and death. Is that okay with you? Because it's not okay with God. Lets say a Grandfather and Grandmother have twelve grandchildren. They have raised them to be lovers of Jesus. They are blessed by two more, a set of twins. But when they are born they have a heart defect, and they only have days to live. What does this mean? We can blame God and get bitter, but if we really knew Jesus we would know how good He is. We could also thank God, thinking He's teaching a lesson. How many times did Jesus give a disease and tell someone to learn character? Oh right, never. We need to realize disease is sent to destroy family. The Grandma realizes this and heads to her prayer closet. She praises God for His goodness and love, not the disease. This is an attack on her family and generational line. Her grandchildren are her inheritance. She agrees with God, saying this is not allowed. Within hours the doctors are clueless because they are totally healed. Families are destroyed through many other ways. How many times do we hear of a son and dad not talking? And how often do we become passive and take our family for granted? The closer we are to people the greater capacity we have of hurting them.

Danny and Sheri Silk are some of my biggest heroes ever. They devote themselves to see the restoration of all families. Families are made to represent Jesus and His love. There is nothing more powerful than a family that are laid down lovers. There is hope. There is no unforgivable sin. Divorce, adultery, physical or verbal abuse, sexual immorality, and betrayal, are all very hurtful. But as Christians we must always forgive and not stay bitter. We are powerful and free, we always have the choice not to forgive and walk away. But how's that going to work out for you?

a little renaissance to stir the soul

I was on facebook the other day and I saw a great quote. It said, “I learned everything I need to know from Disney movies.” This made me laugh. I love the classics, they are my most favorite movies. The “Disney Renaissance” is a celebrated time of high quality animated motion pictures. Some would argue how long it lasted, but the general time is 1989-1999. Which is the prime of my youth. These movies were a creative explosion of minds and hearts coming together. They literally helped shape a generation. Movies are powerful, they impart whatever was in the hearts of their maker. Four movies in particular left an imprint on my heart. I've never seen a better movie because I've never received such a strong impartation from other movies.

The Little Mermaid (1989): The part of the movie I want to talk about is when Ariel sings "Part of Your World." Whether the song writer knew it or not, the message of this song is right out of the Bible. Every time I hear it I get tears in my eyes. She starts out the song with how thankful she is for her home and all the things she has. But she quickly moves into how she wants more, she isn't satisfied. She wants to dance and walk on her feet! When I hear that I feel warmth in my soul. I want to dance and walk on my feet! Banning Liebscher, a pastor at Bethel, taught me that I must always stay thankful, and at the same time never be satisfied with what I have. The two go hand in hand. In God there is always more. He values thankfulness, and wants us to stay grounded in that. But He never sets limits for us, we set our own limits.

Beauty and the Beast (1991): Whoa! A movie that moves the heart. This movie shows the power of a curse, and more importantly, the power of love. There was a dream in my spirit for a long time that my soul didn’t really know was there. David had to command his soul to rejoice because it wasn’t as quick as his spirit. I know that to be true in many ways. At the end of Beauty and the Beast there is an amazing scene where Beast is pulled up into the air and is transformed into the prince. At last love conquered the curse and his dream became reality. As a young boy my spirit captured that image and God set it in me. My soul never realized it was there. I never talked of it. I believe the reason why God gave it to me is because God wanted to show my spirit who I am, how He actually views me, and what He wants to do with me. I am that prince and love has conquered this disease. My King conquered every curse. It will be reality on earth. The scene was implanted in my spirit and has never let me go.

Aladdin (1992): This movie showed that I knew I wanted a princess. I believe that Aladdin is one of the most romantic movies ever. I knew I wanted to love well. To love every girl as a beautiful princess. Women are free and powerful. In the movie Jasmine is on the streets and she is trying to stay hidden, she has a hood on. She sees the palace guards capturing Aladdin, and she commands them to let him go. They push her and laugh, saying by who's orders? She stands and removes her veil and says, “by the orders of the princess!” Whoa! The princesses of the world must be unveiled. Creation and mankind are waiting for their orders. Aladdin makes a transformation from pauper to prince. Like most of us he tries to become someone he's not. It's what we do when we don't know our identity. He realizes Prince Ali is just not him, and he gives up hope. He betrays Jasmine's trust by not being himself. Unfortunately like most of us, he sees himself as a pauper and unworthy of love. But he finds out he was born to be a prince. He breaks old mindsets. He is worthy of love and the princess. It's a journey in the depths of his heart.

The Lion King (1994): Mufasa is power. He is so big and strong. He is usurped by Scar in an act of violent love. He gives his life for his son. Scar releases shame and condemnation to Simba. He runs away like so many of us do. He becomes careless and apathetic. He reunites with Nala, and he tells her bad things happen and there's nothing you can do. She responds, “it's your responsibility!” We like to take the responsibility off ourselves. But in fact God left us in charge. We cry out to God for help. I love the secret place, it's a great time to yell, scream, cry, and rejoice. We make an exchange, our stuff for His heart. But we must understand Jesus already defeated everything we face. It's our responsibility to enforce His victory. Mufasa appears to Simba and tells him, “remember who you are.” Simba goes to defeat Scar, taking back his throne. His kingdom is restored.

face to face

I really can’t wait to be married. It’s such a huge desire of my heart. When I was in high school I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, I was looking for a wife. I’m excited to give everything I have to my wife. I’ve never been married, obviously, but I’ve seen many marriages in action. One of the most important things is to give, give, give, and when I’m sick of giving, I give some more. I’m excited to love her as a daughter of the King, and to fight for her heart. I’m excited to fight along her side, displacing darkness for the Kingdom of our Father. I’m excited to start a family and have children. A family after God’s heart is powerful and is dangerous to darkness. They cultivate the very heart of our Father. More than all of that, I want to know my wife. I’m not going to get married to know about her, but to know her intimately. I plan on actually being with her, and liking it. I want to know what makes her heart beat, what she cries out for when no one is looking. I want to partner with her and God to see her dreams fulfilled. I want to know her so well that I’ll know what she thinks without talking. I believe she is a daughter of the King, and she really is royalty. That’s not a theory, it’s a reality. It’s my privilege and responsibility to know her as she is. And to not live as though it’s a theory.

The same goes with my relationship with Father. I talk a lot on this blog about miracles, signs, and wonders. You will get no apology from me. I want my full inheritance as a son of God. I won’t settle for less. But it’s important to keep the main thing, the main thing. I’m alive to know and love my Father deeply. Even deeper than my wife. People throw a lot of phrases out, including me. “Jesus is the lover my soul.” “I’m an abandoned lover and worshiper of Jesus.” Most of my life these truths have been a theory. But I can honestly say it’s now a reality in my life. People don’t know the extravagant love Father has for us. If people really knew Jesus and His love, people would literally RUN to Him. Most Christians settle for religion. Religion says God is distant and impersonal. We settle for knowing about God. What does your heart cry out for more than anything else? Well I really want to walk. We also want money, blessing, peace, and joy. But more than all that, our hearts ache for love. What in the heck tells us God doesn’t want love even more? Oh right, religion. Father is aching for our love. He is the Lover of all lovers. This is not a theory. Jesus is a person, waiting to be known. He’s longing to know us. I want to know what makes His heart beat, what He cries out for when no one is looking. I want to partner with Him and my wife to see His dreams fulfilled. I want to know Him so well that I’ll know what He thinks without talking. Holy Spirit is my best friend. The love of my life. I live to know my Father face to face.