Epic Walk tag:www.desiredlife.org,2009-08-09:/epic_walk//1 2012-01-16T04:41:20Z Walking with God in the bigger story. Movable Type Pro 4.3-en A Work of Community of the Holy Spirit tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.212 2012-01-16T04:02:48Z 2012-01-16T04:41:20Z This weekend I had a moment of grasping or coming to begin to grasp something I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in building a foundation in for a work of Community of the Holy Spirit as best I... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 This weekend I had a moment of grasping or coming to begin to grasp something I believe the Holy Spirit is at work in building a foundation in for a work of Community of the Holy Spirit as best I can explain it and have thus far grasped it.

Thus far in the 21 day Awakening Fast with my church family, and now on day 7, I have not had or experienced really any powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and the times of my encounters with the presence of God and all of the top spiritual experiences have not yet happened with my church or for me personally in many years. I have had good times with God, but I say mountain top, I mean a very powerful and life altering encounter with God. I was wondering about that, but then something started to click.

There is a new foundation of something God is at work in building in me and in my heart and it is not a individual spiritual mountain top experience. I've had those and I love them and crave more and believe more will come in the future, but I realized that I have in all of my great experiences that have changed my life in the works God has done in me and in the presence of Him - they have all been individual. I have been with others corporately and had them, but I do not believe any others around me have experienced what I did corporately, with me, for a similar purpose and in a very similar way, to unite us for a purpose as a body of one.

Yet, here recently, although for a growing period of several months, I have been experiencing and seeing the foundation for something very much like that taking place among my church family. It is what I can best explain as a work of community by the Holy Spirit. Yet, more than just community, as my church is more church family, than a community. We are growing in a unified purpose and I have been experiencing church family in a way that I did not think possible this side of eternity. While individual encounters with the Holy Spirit are powerful and life changing and build us up individually, I have not had any that have unified me with others for a purpose we all share and in this way before. It's not a mountain top spiritual experience thus far, but it's amazing and I think the foundation of something that God is at work in doing is growing and being prepared during this 21 day Awakening fast with my church family.

That has me excited. I love the presence of God and knowing Him more and having my satisfaction in Him increase. But, up until this weekend I have never considered what the mountain top like experience with the presence of God would be like - to experience with an entire local body of my brothers and sisters in which and through which God did so with purpose for reaching our city for His glory. 

Such a work of community of the Holy Spirit, well..

It would be incredible. 

It would not be setting me on fire individually for the Lord for His glory, but it rather would be setting an entire church body on fire for Jesus, as a body united with one purpose. 

I can't even being to imagine what that would be like.

Yet, that is the foundation for what I think the Holy Spirit is at work in doing in me, but not just in me, in many of my brothers and sisters with my church family.

I can't even begin to process this. Right now, I am simply in joy in it. 

Basking in the love of God. 

Looking forward for what God is going to do in the next 2 weeks during our Awakening Fast. It's just began, the best is yet to come. 

This is going to be a year to remember.

]]> The Obvious, The Responses And The Results We Can't Miss tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.211 2012-01-15T06:38:12Z 2012-01-16T03:42:17Z If you have not yet read the preface to this entry, please do so first by clicking here.If you have not yet watched the video you will want to watch it at some point to follow and better understand my... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
If you have not yet read the preface to this entry, please do so first by clicking here.

If you have not yet watched the video you will want to watch it at some point to follow and better understand my entry. I'll post it at the bottom of this entry.

The video has a obvious message of Jesus offers grace, but religion isn't good. It does not leave room for apathy in the response. You will experience either grace or offense in your response to watching it. 

The audience is two fold. Though a third audience is out there, but I don't think this message of the video is intended directly to them through perspective of this being a message the Holy Spirit has brought about for a purpose through Jeff (the young man who made it).

The response is either something around grace or something around offense for all three audiences. In this I don't know if Jeff intended or understood the audiences the video goes out to. Let me be clear that the focus of this entry is on the video and the message it communicates and things around that. 

The audience of the first group are those who are carrying around mistakes (saved or unsaved) who have not grasped or experienced a revelation of the grace of Jesus.

The audience of the second group is that of not understanding or experiencing, I propose, a revelation of grace by the Holy Spirit. Now, hold on a minute, if in reading this, your response is offense, I ask you why? I suspect my statement might be of offense to some, but I do not intend or mean it to be, but none the less, some people may have a response of offense to that statement.

You see, I propose, having experienced a revelation of grace in a profound way (our grasp and experience of it and understanding may in fact be infinite - I'm not sure, but I suspect it is), but in hearing the message - even if I do not fully agree with it all - my response was not offense to the message, but an expansion on my experience and my consciousness of grace, from I think what I can best explain as a revelation of grace I had in 2011. 

That's what has got me thinking and that's a big part of this entry. 

If your response is offense, can you honestly tell me, you have a complete grasp and understanding of the fullness of the grace of God? 

Give my questions some thought, and prayer and ask God to guide you by His Holy Spirit in these questions. If you refuse to ask God about these questions, why is that? I myself am still growing in my revelation of grace, but it has changed my life and set me free in many ways.

By revelation, let me make it clear, I mean a spiritual understanding, experience, grasp, clarity, a ah-ha moment, in the understanding of grace. This is perhaps best explained as moment, when something finally clicks, you get it, it makes since. Not something super spiritual and far out there that is just kind of weird. 

Something in me started turning in this, that got my thoughts going, when I started seeing the response of some who were taking what seemed to be to me an offense to this video, who are in fact Christians, not self-righteous people who do not know God. In fact, it appears to have brought such an offense, that they have been moved to write long and in depth blogs about this video and the problems they have or the concerns they have with it - and it got me thinking. Yes, the response people have had to the video and the impact of it has prompted me to write a long and in depth blog entry, but as you can see my prompting is not from offense, but out of grace and in feeling led to point out the results from this video that we can't afford to miss.

Now, I do not know of course the response of others to have if fact been offense to prompt what they have wrote, but as I looked at the response of some blogs and comments and tweets, I did not see in them what seems to be a root of grace in what was being wrote, but with a root from an offense, seeking clarity or simply defending and attacking.

It got me thinking, why was I not dealing with guilt, having a deeper grasp and or experience of grace in watching the video, while maybe not in agreement with it all, without having an offense from it, but others were having a response that seemed to be from a root of offense?

I didn't think all that much about the video the first time, it didn't spark a huge thing of grace in me, some, but not a lot, but no offense. 

I don't think this video or message was for those in my audience directly, but we none the less are blessed in experiencing more grace from it. 

I may be wrong, I am not claiming this to be absolute, but again, I have to propose the response, even if you disagree with the message in parts, if the response you have had is offense, and not of grace, why?

Before I go on, let me clarify, that I am writing this on the basis of the video and the effect of the poem and the words in it and the format and way the message is conveyed. 

I am not writing it in on the intention of what Jeff may or may not have had in making it nor of his motives behind it or even of his views, beliefs or doctrine or theology or even understanding of what he said in it.

I do believe in having watched it and his other videos, and what I have observed thus far, that Jeff likely made the video with good intentions, and good motives and not expecting a response like he has. I read a blog of someone who got a email back from and and that response confirmed much of what I thought last night about that.

Let me further clarify that I think Jeff in the making of this video, was used by the Holy Spirit, as a vessel through which this message has been spoken, and that it is largely in part why through the work of the Holy Spirit, his video, and the message in it, has reached nearly 10,000,000 views on You Tube now in such a short period of time.

That's my thoughts thus far, but let's look at the verses in the video.

First, we have to define religion, or look at that word. What does it mean?

If you don't stop and think about that, you have to stop and go back and look at that. 

The word religion has different meanings to different people. 

But, let's get the meaning from the video, not the audience first. If the source makes the meaning clear, we should go with that meaning, not our own when we first hear the word.

Looking at the video, I don't see how one can get a meaning of it other than man's attempts to come to God. Religion being man's attempt to come to God. Relationship being Christ's work to bridge the gap between us and God - the only way to come to God - through Christ. 

In his reference to church, I think it is pretty clear, the meaning is not the "Church" with a Capital "C" meaning the body of Christ, the people, the bride of Christ, but rather a little "c" in church building's where local bodies of followers of Christ meet for services and fellowship.

I've already seen the video written off as, if it sounds, looks and feels good - is it good? Is it right? 

Whoa.. wait a minute.. let's hold on a minute.

Yes, Hollywood produces things that sound, look and feel good, but are not good. 

But, are we really going to make that instant implied assumption?

Are we not expecting the body of Christ to produce things that sound, look and feel good in the means, method and the way of delivery? I hope not.

CS Lewis and Francis Schaeffer produced works that sound, look and all feel good and the means, method and way of delivery are stellar. 

I'm not putting this video on their level, but just making a point that good and well produced messages can be good - and when they deliver a message in a new way - same truth always there - but in a format that people are able to grasp in ways they did not before - that is not a bad thing. I know they are different formats, but it is late and my thinking is going to be a bit off at this hour of night. It is almost 3:30am, so my thinking isn't quite on right now.

The language of today's culture that is understood and trusted and viewed as accredited is that of which sounds, looks and feels high qualify and in a style and format that Jeff in this video did and did well. 

I see the older generation pointing to the confusion of the younger generations. Well, let's look at that because there is truth to it (a lot) because the younger generations are confused. But, let's not move on quite so fast, the older generations are also confused. Maybe not now in the church (well I think our entire culture in and out of the church is confused), but the older generations lost a lot of ground in the culture battles of their generations, that's why my generation and the younger one's are in the culture that is so confused today. So let's not jump on the generation bashing band wagon - there are no winners.

The question is, well is Jeff's video having an effect of revelation of grace on people? 

I think so.

I think that's why there have been 10,000,000 views on You Tube.

His video has 10,000,000 views because it communicates something that speaks to the younger generations and there aren't many, if any, YouTube videos from the older generations that have gone viral like this on You Tube that have done that.

I doubt even TBN, reaches, this audience, in a week, globally. They have a much bigger budget and resources and experience. Regardless of the thoughts you have on the network, it doesn't matter, they have a big network, but still, I doubt it has ever reached the audience that this video did and so fast. Jeff is a young man and this new video I bet has gone past what he expected or ever dreamed it was going to do. He may not have planned his words for his poem for the video as well as he would now that it has gone viral if he knew in advance what was coming. Yet, he did it with boldness and with courage. That has to be respected.

The message communicated hits something within people, it is speaking to the younger generations, that's why it went viral.

It delivers grace to the soft hearted and it brings offense to others and not grace, my question is why? If you watch the video and it does not bring about an experience of grace, why it that you have experienced a feeling of offense and not of grace?

I make no judgments, but I am asking a question, that I think rightfully would be wise to ask one's self.

I will go into the verses, verse by verse, perhaps another night.

That's all I have for this entry.

It's late and I'm calling it a night.

Here's the video if you haven't seen it yet.

]]> Preface: The Obvious, The Responses And The Results We Can't Miss tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.210 2012-01-15T03:03:38Z 2012-01-16T03:48:13Z This is the first preface I have ever done for a blog entry. I don't even know if prefaces are done for blog entries, maybe I'm starting something with this.I have come to the conclusion after hours of writing this,... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 preface.jpg
This is the first preface I have ever done for a blog entry. I don't even know if prefaces are done for blog entries, maybe I'm starting something with this.

I have come to the conclusion after hours of writing this, that to communicate it right, I have got to have something to set this up, without it, the message won't be effective, at least not as effective. 

So, here is how this came to be, or soon will, and the why and the process I went through and am still in as it is being developed. 

Initially I did not want to write this and I still don't want this to reach thousands of readers. 

Mostly, because I am not ready to enter into a season in my life that I know I am called to and here now the second time in less than a week I am feeling prompted to write a entry that might have the very effect I do not want it to have. 

The person's video I am writing this in reference to whose youtube video now has nearly 10 million views, I suspect has experienced things he was not expecting or ready for because of that video and the response it prompted from a lot of people. 

Here's his video, watch it if you have not already done so.


His video has gone out like a massive war party and into spiritual territory of the enemy and as he has likely experienced now - there is a big back lash that follows when this happens. 

We need more men and women storming the gates of darkness with boldness and courage like him, but as he has likely come to realize - we have to plan it and prepare for the war we wage when we do. (If you read this Jeff tweet me privately).

Thankfully, this isn't a entry that I think will result in the same type of response in terms of spiritual warfare (this is not a video format and people in need of grace lost in the sin of mistakes are not likely to read this in the masses to prompt it), but this might propel me into moving more into a season of ministry I am not looking to enter into at this time - that I am not looking for. 

Thankfully, I don't expect this to bring about any offense in those who read the message, Thank God. I don't want the stuff that comes with that. It's just as bad. The time may come for that, but that time is not now.

But, this is likely to reach the audience I am called to in ministering to and that is likely to put me on the radar spiritually as a threat to spiritual darkness. 

If you have ever clearly felt the calling of God in your life in something and then in bold faith started moving in that, you have, I can almost guarantee, experienced spiritual warfare at a whole new level. 

I did and for years I fought that war and God did big things in my life in setting the foundation and seed for the calling and vision He has given me. 

A few years after that He led me into a season of a sabbatical and a time of being fathered, growing as a young man in Him and being prepared for the calling in this. I am still in it. Though it has changed over the years. 

The great thing about this season, is the rest, the break of the spiritual warfare at the level I was experiencing and did for nearly 2 years, and well I don't want to rush out of it. 

So, until that time comes and I know that I know it has, I don't want to send out the war party, I know the enemy will wage war back when I do and I know God is with me and in Him I am more than a conqueror, but that time to go out to war spiritually is not yet here.

However, as much as I have tried to resist it - I also can't deny that there is a strong nudging I believe from God not to remain silent or be disobedient in not writing this.

So, here I am writing it. Wondering and secretly, hoping, God is not moving me forward in what I don't feel I am ready for because of a few things not yet in place in my life. I don't think God will send me in that direction before things are in place in the ways I believe He has told me are going to take place first, but I also want to be open to Him. So, that's where I am going into this and why I am writing this, by that prompting.

If I am lucky thus far, I have lost a good deal of readers who I don't really want reading this.

So on to the video and the many areas around it that I feel directed in addressing. It's coming next. Might be a few hours. Might be a few days.

It's hard to believe that this little preface, has had paragraphs, many, written, deleted, edited, and maybe even pages of them. Tomorrow, I'll move into the entry, this is to set it up, the preface.

The good thing about this is that in the hours I've spent working on this, a peace and fears have broken as have concerns in many ways and I am moving forward in a new way in something. That's pretty cool. Here God has already worked in me and out of me something new, and I've not even got to the blog entry yet, it's just the preface to it.

While I'm working on it, I'd love to hear your comments about the video below and this preface as well. 

]]> The Heart and Spirit of Code Orange Revival tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.208 2012-01-13T16:51:14Z 2012-01-13T20:24:44Z Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 There are those things in life that come to mind and we wonder what the cost might be if we were to actually follow through on them. This is one of them. 

In all honesty, is this something I think God may be prompting me in doing? Yes, I can certainly affirm that it is certainly possible. 

Am I confident in it without any doubts? Well, no. 

Do I really want to be that confident? Well, no.. not really. 

If we are really confident in something; it pretty much burns the bridge to retreat from it. 

After all if God calls us to something and we know it, there is no longer any other plan for us to pursue in life. 

Is this not why we secretly and perhaps subconsciously don't really want to know what God's will is in something? I think so. Maybe you cannot relate, but I suspect you can - even if you are not willing to admit it to others or yourself.

I know this certainty in a few areas of my life, I know the calling and I know, that I know. I didn't chose any of them. I didn't really want them; as I knew the cost that comes with them. Yet, God has confirmed them and I know they are what He has called me to. I don't go looking for these confidences and callings, but I also would have no purpose in the way I do and many of the blessings that flow from them - if I did not know these things. I am confident God wants to reveal the callings and specific vision within our calling to us in life, but that's another subject and not the point of this entry. If you don't know your calling and if you do, if you don't know the specific vision within it God has for you to fulfill in life - that's something I encourage you to pray about and pursue.

When I first heard about Code Orange Revival I did not know what it was. My pastor tweeted about it and so I googled it. After watching the video I knew I wanted to watch it and it spoke to something in me. I knew I was to watch it and I do plan to watch every night of it. 

So why am I writing this? 

Well, I am feeling prompted in writing it and yet I don't want to write it; mostly in fear of what it could cost. 

You see I know I am called to things in life; as I previously shared and yet the season for the fullness of most of it has not yet come. I am actually alright with that, but with that I want to be discerning in the steps I take before that time comes - you don't plant something in winter - it will die or it will be severely set back and or harmed in it's growth.

So, in writing this I am doing so in such a way that I can obey the prompting and tugging on my heart I am feeling and yet do what I can as to not project myself into something that I am not ready for. I don't want to plant something in this that isn't supposed to be planted at this time, but I do feel it is something I should share. Perhaps by God's providence it will reach the eyes of the people I suspect God has prompted me to write it to reach. 

So here's the deal. 

I have known for a while that Stephen Furtick has his fair share or perhaps more than his fair share of critics. As I wrote in my last entry on Code Orange Revival I have not heard him preach before and I don't make assumptions on people without learning first hand or from what I hear from personal and trusted people on their thoughts on someone. (Though as I've learned in the past, even our trusted and loved friends and people we respect are not without biases, flaws and errors in their assumptions about others.) 

However, in googling about Code Orange Revival today I ran across a blog that had several good questions regarding some of the speakers invited to come speak at Code Orange Revival. I can't say that the heart and spirit of the blog I read came across as being done in love or that the author showed any feeling or emotion of agony or grief over the things that they felt were unbiblical in the teaching of some of the speakers invited. 

Yet, even if the heart and motive of a critic is off; it doesn't negate the points that they bring up on concerns of some of the speakers and what they are teaching God's people. 

If a speaker or preacher is teaching something that is not biblical - what does it mean or say if I go and speak at the same event? Is that an endorsement? 

Yet, what of the other side of the argument - even if an avenue I go on and or through is used by someone who is off doctrinally or theologically - is it right to not use the same avenue for the proclamation of truth? If a LDS church invited you to come preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, would you decline them? (I know it is not likely they would, but if they did - would you?) You would be standing on their pulpit and or stage, etc. What about a TV network that airs other pastors/teachers that you do not agree with? Would you decline preaching on their network to the world - even if they offered it to you at no cost? What if you accepted a invitation and only later learned another speaker would be sharing the stage with you that you did not know about before? Do you then decline the invitation breaking your word that you would come? (Assuming they asked you for it to come - I understand it is possible they use contracts for speakers on an event of this size, but keeping it very simple - on it just being your word - your promise you would come - what would you do?)

These are all good questions. They are not ones I am going to be able to answer in this blog entry and not even ones I think that in answering would address the issues at hand in all this. 

Whatever our views or beliefs we can all agree that we must ultimately do what God calls us to do - not what pleases men. 

I think we can all agree as well that our clever and well written blog entries are not likely to change the hearts and minds of other men and women. They may influence their thoughts and God may use them for that purpose, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that is going to change the hearts and minds of other men and women. So I move the focus to our prayer life. That's really where the power to change things is going to flow from. We all like to quote and refer to great men and women of the past who were used of God to change things - as as far as I can tell most of them were in prayer - in prayer of agony, prayers that shed tears and prayers that moved their hearts so close to the heart of God - that when they spoke all who heard were deeply impacted and changed. 

I am not judging in this. I am not condemning. I am calling you to pray for God to completely turn your prayer life upside down. Mine is included in this. It's not where I want it. It's really not. In writing this I have nearly shed a few tears, but my heart is not utterly broken for God's men and women who are preaching. Nor is it even for His people. Pray for me too. Feel free to leave a comment on my blog and I will pray for you as well.

I am going to watch each night of the Code Orange Revival. I am also going to begin to earnestly pray for it and for each speaker and for the people who are there and all who stream it around the world. That is I believe the heart of Steven Furtick in the Code Orange Revival.

I have been blessed by it thus far and I do expect to be blessed as it continues. I also respect and applaud Steven Furtick for obeying the Lord in undertaking the Code Orange Revival vision and moving forward with it.

On the speakers who he has invited and the uncertainty surrounding the doctrines and theology around them - that's a issue I would encourage Steven Furtick to prayerfully consider for next year (if he did not do so in the process of preparing for Code Orange Revival this year - as he may very well have - I don't know him personally or even from a distance having listened to his teaching enough to comment one way or the other on that - I say this only as a brother to Him in our Lord and with sincerity. Perhaps one day I will get a chance to shake his hand and give him a hug. If not in this life, I do believe so in the other side of eternity that I will - many times).

Finally to the critics and those who have found what they believe to be a very bold and strong confidence in the things they are writing about Code Orange Revival and the pastors connected with it and speaking at it I have this to ask, "Are the things you write, speak and voice all things of which you have in your private times of prayer earnestly prayed out? Have you experienced any agony in your prayers over what you are writing? Have you shed any tears?"

I do not ask this in condemnation - for there are things I have had concerns about that are not related to any of these pastors or this movement, but I have not earnestly prayed about them. That is my own fault and my own short coming. I personally could not speak out against another with the level of harshness that some have; if I had not first prayed and asked God move in my heart and give me His heart over it all.

Well, I believe I have been faithful to the prompting and urging of the Holy Spirit in everything in this entry I felt I was to do and stayed within my desire to not plant something in a season of winter for me personally.

Blessings to you. May God draw you closer to Him and lead you into all truth in ways you have never experienced. May He do so in my life as well.
]]> Code Orange Revival aka 'Old-School Holy Ghost Revival' Modernized tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.207 2012-01-12T16:10:44Z 2012-01-12T16:57:05Z Last night Code Orange Revival, a 12 night modernized old school Holy Ghost Revival with Elevation Church started. Now each night for the next 11 nights they are bringing in a different speaker and having worship with the purpose of... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 Last night Code Orange Revival, a 12 night modernized old school Holy Ghost Revival with Elevation Church started. Now each night for the next 11 nights they are bringing in a different speaker and having worship with the purpose of starting a revival. The people they are bringing in are well known and have a gift for preaching and speaking. Last night's message was inspiring and powerful as it impacted me and God spoke to me through it.

This was the first time I've heard the church's lead pastor and founder Steven Furtick and guest speaker Craig Groeschel speak. I know they are pretty big from what I have heard, but I don't really make a point of going out of my way to learn about the newest things. I just follow things as they come across my path as the Lord leads me. 

The majority of the things I have heard online have been negative blurbs about Steven Furtick, but I have never really given much thought to him or the church one way or the other or made any assumptions about him. One thing I have learned in my adventures in ministry is people often come faster in the church to disagree with what you are doing than to support you in it. I have never really understood why the majority of attack in ministry at times comes from within the walls of the church - not outside of it. Maybe, it's just that you don't expect it and it comes as a surprise at first. If you feel called by God to something, it's almost a guarantee you that as you pursue it you will face opposition from people in the church. 

While I have never heard either Steven Furtick or Craig Groeschel speak before, Craig in a way has had an indirect impact on me through his direct impact on my pastor who has impacted me. So, I was already in a favorable expectation of Craig's message last tonight when I watched him preach (of which was even better than I had expected).

I had not heard anything about Code Orange Revival up until yesterday when my pastor tweeted about it. So, I googled it and watched the video about what it was going to be and soon it had my attention. After that, I knew I wanted to watch it with my church family at the office as our pastor was hosting the video streaming of it for us. I'm glad I did go. I plan on watching it every night now and am excited for what God will do through it.

This idea has really got my attention, because for years I've wondered why the "Old-School" revivals and "Tent Meetings" seem to have ceased. While, I certainly can understand some or maybe a good deal of them were not good (in being off spiritually) there are many great revivals and awakenings of the past few hundred years that have roots to the revival and tent meeting format. So, I have not understand why they had ceased (maybe they have not - but they seem to me at least not all that common today). Perhaps it has been that men have not felt led by God to do them and so even with a desire to resume them, they have not resumed them. What ever the case, when I heard about the 12 day old school revival format for them something in me sprang to life and I was excited with that feeling of anticipation that God was going to use it in a significant way and I wanted to be a part of it. 

I and many from my church are also on day 3 of a 21 day fast with the Awakening movement of which had me even more excited about this. I am doing a Daniel fast, with limited fruits and vegetables and juicing them into liquid for mine right now. That's another blog entry I will have to do on juicing with my Daniel fast in the future.

I look forward to the next 11 nights with the Code Orange Revival. The first night was a real blessing to me. Speaking to me in some ways that I needed to hear. 

I invite you to logon to the revival online and stream it from their online network at http://elevationnetwork.com/ tonight. Oh, and by the way the code orange revival, is a modernized one, no real tent and lot's of new technology to take the message far beyond the walls of a geographically located building. I think that is pretty cool too.


]]> A New Year tag:www.desiredlife.org,2012:/epic_walk//1.206 2012-01-11T17:44:23Z 2012-01-11T18:08:19Z It's been some time since I last wrote a blog entry. It's not even been a year since a lot of things have started to change in my life in major ways and yet it feels like it has... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
It's been some time since I last wrote a blog entry. It's not even been a year since a lot of things have started to change in my life in major ways and yet it feels like it has been more than such a short time. I've been in many ways like a seed for the past few years or a small tree in a planter. I haven't been able to grow and become more of who I was created to be and was in a long season of waiting. Now being in rich soil, in a community and church home where I have been able to grow as God has watered me I am more alive than I have ever been. I simply love it. If you are in a season of waiting and have felt it for quite some time then you perhaps can relate to what I felt for quite some time.

Yesterday, I was sitting on my couch and looking at my warrior sweat pants I felt like a warrior set free. I've known who I am in Christ as the Lord has fathered me and molded me into the man I am for a while, but I've felt like a warrior that was confined and nothing I tried could get me free. It wasn't really a bad or hard confinement and I knew God had me in a time of waiting and that the time would come when I was set free, but that didn't make it any easier to wait.

Now, in 2012 and on day 3 of a 21 day fast with the Awakening fast with my Church family in doing a Daniel fast I am excited for what God is going to do this month and what will come after this fast is over as God moves in my life, the life of those near and dear to me at my church and in my church as a whole.

I am believing God for big movements and changes and blessing in my business and my personal life this year. With those changes laying a foundation from which I will one day resume an intentional advancement in the ministry God has called me to. Looking back on 2011 the things I can clearly see that God did in my life and for which I praise Him for are leading and connecting me into my church family with purpose, blessing me with a fellowship once again, growing and preparing me as a man for the woman I will one day marry and revealing to me a grasp of grace unlike I have ever had in setting me free from partially and unknowingly putting myself under the law of God instead of in the Grace of God.

I look forward to this year and give thanks to God for His faithfulness and His Grace and Love and Peace and Joy. 
]]> Roots Time Life tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.205 2011-11-29T05:43:44Z 2011-11-29T06:36:20Z With December almost here and the end of 2011 coming this is dedicated to this year. Looking back, this year goes up as one of the best years of my life. Not everything has gone as I would like and... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
Yet, if I went down the check list of what most people use to have a good year, this year wouldn't make the cut. My secret is a supernatural life tied, connected and correlated to God. That is not a theory, a idea or a answer, but my best attempt to explain what is not easy to explain, only lived, experienced and encountered.

I should stop here and pause for a moment to simply say that if you are going through hard times there is one thing I would tell you to do. Start feeding your roots and plant them in good soil in running after God with all your heart, mind and soul. 

Actually, I should add if you are flourishing and doing great now, do the same thing. The mountain top will not last, but roots that go deep will not fail you when they are rooted in God.

Your circumstances may not and will not likely change over night, but growing your roots in God will significantly aid in bringing you life regardless of your circumstances. I don't say this as theory, but from life experience. I would have withered in many ways over the past 10-15 years - multiple times during challenging times if not for roots. 

Be encouraged. These times are for your good. To prosper you. God is not absent. Acknowledge Him in your life. Thank Him for His involvement and begin to praise Him for what He is doing in your life to take you into the plans He created for you - long ago. I learned to do that this year and it has been a major part of the changes in my life I do believe.

You see, if I had experienced a continued and expanded season of blessing these past 10 years I would not be who I am today nor would I become the leader I believe God is calling me to be. There is purpose in the prolonged wait. This is not what I would have wanted to hear in those times, nor what others will want to hear, but God is in control and in time as we trust, obey and follow Him this becomes more evident. Again, I can only say this because I have lived it, experienced it and it is not something I would have chose, asked for or wanted, but I do see God's hand in it all now and I am thankful for it. It is something I can praise God for in my life.

I would not be able to relate or have compassion for the struggles, pains and challenges of most people following the Lord today if not for the hard times I have walked through. It is because of them and my time through them that I am better able to bless and minister to others going through them. Yet, in walking with God, in chasing after Him and seeking His protection - He has done just that. His mighty hand and protection has been with me always. 

It's funny I used to wish God would bless me greatly from my big steps of faith and my pursuit of Him over the years, but now looking back I am glad that He has waited to open the flood gates of Heaven for those blessings. As it stands now, when that time comes, I will be better able to fulfill my calling and the plans He has for me from the prolonged wait. 

All this to say that roots, well roots are important. Fast growth without the roots to support that growth, well it is growth that will wither. Remember, crawl, walk and then run. When we run before we have learned to crawl, we will fall, and we will fall hard.

In time roots in the right soil produce more than just life in us, they produce a spiritual heritage. I'll continue more in this in the days to come.
]]> 25 Years. God Doesn't Quit. tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.204 2011-11-07T04:07:30Z 2011-11-07T05:03:51Z Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
Like so many people who have lived with religion reflecting the idea of Jesus, but remained outside of experiencing the risen and living Jesus - encountering Jesus is a moment of revelation best explained as what we knew there must be in knowing God, but didn't grasp until that moment!

This is something in the making for around a decade. Maybe longer. 

God doesn't quit.

Sometimes God answers prayers and shows up fast.

Sometimes it takes a long while, but God does not quit on any one.

She has started going to a life giving church just miles from her home.

She has known about it and lived near it for decades. She never went because of the rumors she had heard about people there and about it. When she was visited from a friend who is a believer earlier this year she was asked to come along for church on Sunday morning. She had been asked in past visits, but never went. Yet, on the last visit she went along.

Since then she has started going there and is feeling God is calling her to forgive her exhusand and family that has caused her so much pain, grief and heartache - for decades. God has began to bring her focus to forgiveness through many channels of events, people, groups - all of which are not related nor connected to each other. God has a way of getting out attention. 

It is great to hear she is finding Jesus. Jesus is drawing her close and working in her life! 

It isn't the perfect words or the perfect planning that reaches people. It is faithful obidence in doing what God calls us to do as best we can do it and trusting Him to work in them.

Loving others. Not giving up on them and praying for them. These are powerful things. 
]]> Prosperity Hijacked tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.203 2011-10-19T18:20:31Z 2011-10-19T18:46:02Z The word prosperity has been hijacked. It has been tainted, skewed and buried.The term prosperity gospel has been tainted, skewed. Many have buried or killed off the word prosper from their vocabulary - though they do not say it in... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
The word prosperity has been hijacked. It has been tainted, skewed and buried.

The term prosperity gospel has been tainted, skewed. Many have buried or killed off the word prosper from their vocabulary - though they do not say it in words to others or to themselves. 

Yet, the fruit is not there.

The word "prosper" appears in the NIV version of the Bible 84 times:


Go ahead, click the link above and check it out, try the dozens of versions online as well.

It's in the old and the new testament too. Yet, the word has lost meaning. It has been skewed. Buried.

What do you think of when you hear the word? Do good, holy, righteous, positive things come to mind? Do you yourself come to mind? Do others who do big, bold, amazing things for God come to mind - but not you? 

Some say the most common Hebrew word for "prosper" is tsalach (tsaw-lakh') it means:

break out, come mightily, go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, cause to, effect, Or tsaleach {tsaw-lay'-akh}; a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive) -- break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper(-ity, -ous, - ously). 

See for yourself in the Strong's condorance online:


To keep it simple and to remove the controversy around the word, of which tends to result in us staying clear and far away from the word or what it means - when you hear prosper, think "to move forward, to advance, by the hand of God".

That removes the controversy. Sadly, the word prosper requires a disclaimer often today, for when we hear the word, it brings up controversy and tainted, skewed applications. The common responses to it are to create the wrong motives that do not "move forward or advance every area of life" or to bury and stay clear of it, which also does not "move forward or advance every area of life".

Now with a more acurate meaning for prosper in focus, and that should from this day forward come forth when you hear the word, to from now on always bring up a good and healthy thought pattern - there is a secondary problem attatched to the word prosper.

When we hear the word, prosper, and think to move forward, to advance, by the hand of God, while we want the favor, the blessing of God, in all areas, to do what we were created to do, bring glory to God, in all areas of our life, in all ways - another area of misdirection tends to come about.

Misdirection, because that's what the enemy does. We see it all around us and it is crippling men and women of God from prospering, remember, moving forward, advancing, in every area of life, for the glory of God.

With the properity gospel, the word prosper, often skewed, is even more skewed, in associating with it, doing works or having faith in our faith of works, yet another work of us, to be that which will move God to bring about the forward movement in our life, to be prospered, by God, because we serve, tithe, give, sacrafice, etc. of which all boil down, not ultimately to God, but to our work, our ability, our action, to deserve, earn or merit God's response. This is based on God's promise if we obey, He will bless us, and that is true and in His word. The problem is that we, are fallen people, we have sin still in us, and we will not be able and are not able to keep God's law in perfect obedience and do what He asks us, perfectly, every time, and in every way.

I for over a decade, tried my hardest to do this. I tried to do what God called me to do, I gave, I tithed, I served, I stepped out in big steps of faith. Yet, I constantly was bombarded with doubts if I had fully done everything, and exactly and without flaw, that was asked of me by God. The answer of course is no, I am not capable of being without sin, I can and have grown in freedom and we find freedom from bondage to sin, but we can not become free of all sin and become perfect with a sin nature still in us. Thus, in trusting in or appealing to our works or our faith in believing God to honor us for our acts or works of faith, giving, serving, etc. we are applying the consequences of not obeying the law, of obeying God. If we tithe for a decade, but do not tithe on birthday money we are given and forget or if we sell something we bought and made a profit and do not tithe on it, is that really tithing? I recently read in Malachi how God was not only calling out His people for stealing in the tithe, but also for stealing the offerings. The offerings were above and beyond the tithe. Have I given faithfully every time God has prompted me? Have I even heard everytime He was asking me to do something? Leaning on obeying God to merit, deserve or return the favor, the blessing of God, to in effect then be prospered by God, to be advanced, to move forward, does not bring about life nor does it bring about the fruit of what the word prosper is about. Simply because we can not keep the law in full because we can not be without sin, we can not be perfect, on our own, by our efforts or works.

If you, like I used to, are leaning on your great and amazing feats and obedience to things God has called you to and think you have kept and been faithful to warrant God's blessings, you are placing yourself under the ministry of the law, God's grace is big and his mercy is great and He is for us, but remember what Jesus asked of the man who said he had done all the things Jesus asked him. Jesus increased what was asked of him, told him to go and sell all he had, for he was a rich man, and that man walked away. He could not do what Jesus asked of him and increased the law. That's what the law does, it it designed to bring us to the end of trying to save our self as well as trying to earn the favor of God, already imparted to us by the finished work of Jesus Christ, His imparted righteousness to us, if we only will receive and understand grace. I am not making the law or obeying God a light thing, I am doing the very thing Jesus did, I am lifting the law up to what it was given to do and to the standard of which God gives it. If we rely on our efforts or our ability to obey and warrant God's blessings, we are in effect lowering the requirements of the law, so that we can justify our self as have kept them and obeyed them in full.

This revelation, this truth on grace, on the finished work of Jesus Christ, we have understood for salvation, for justification, but not when it comes to being prospered. To being moved forward, to advancing forward, by the hand of God.

I have sat under preachers who preached, and heavily, tithing, serving, giving and built large and big churches and ministries and also witnessed the fruit of it. It was not prospering, it did not advance God's people in all ways, in every way, nor did it do so for the men who preached it. The law is a heavy burden, and it can not be kept. Grace is light, and grace changes us. 

Yes, we understand it was Jesus, His completed work, on the Cross to pay for our Sins, but we must also understand that our rightousness, our condition to be blessed, the requirement of being right before God, to be blessed, is imparted righteousness from Jesus, it is by grace.

The gift of eternal life is a gift, it is grace, we can not earn it, we can not buy it. The blessings, the favor of God, the properity He gives, if we try to earn it, leaves us working and fighting against a up hill battle and one that is hard. When we experience and have the favor of God, when He prospers us, what we do with what He gives us, what He blesses us with, those are all things for which we will store up treasures in Heaven. By treasures, I also mean people, material things on earth of little value eternally, and I don't think they are what are referred to as treasures in Heaven. Yet, what we are entrusted with eternally, however that works, with the more we do here on Earth, with what God gives us and asks of us, that we are empowered to do by His grace, those are things with are impacted by what we do with what we are given, by grace here in this life. That is moving into another subject though, and not the focus of this entry.

This truth of grace and prosperity has changed my life. It has been tested already and the enemy has tried to steal this truth from me, to hinder it and to silence me about it. Yet, I can and do stand on this truth, just as I do in believing for blessings, to be prospered in all ways, and in all areas, not because of anything I have done by my works to deserve it, but because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. There is no sin or failure or doubt or fear that can steal what it is to have prosperity from me, because there is nothing I did to warrent or deserve or earn it. This is a huge blessing.

As God continues to give me vision for the Desired Life Network and the ministry, I no longer have to strive, worry or do anything of myself to earn or warrant God's blessings for the means and resources to do so. I did nothing to be given the vision, and all my striving to advance and grow it, did very little, but now walking in the grace that prospers me because of the finished work of Jesus, the ministry is moving along, God is prospering it and me. I have had unexpected challenges and problems come up, and they brought fears, doubts and brought the heart of God into question, I wondered if I could trust Him. Yet, all of those doubts, that sin, those fears, my hope and my favor, blessings and prosperity are not based on my work, my faith to believe, but my faith to trust and believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ in my life for all things and in all areas. 

It is my hope that this same revelation of hope will become real to you as well. This is a key aspect of discovering the Desired Life, it is one that we can not earn, and one we do not deserve, but one that we yearn for and that was paid for by the finished work of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven, and we are made righteous by His imparted righteousness. That is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
]]> When You Need Help tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.202 2011-10-19T05:08:59Z 2011-10-19T15:14:40Z Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
Sometimes it takes going through disappointment to open our eyes. I have in many ways been blessed my entire life and I don't want to over look those blessings in writing this. I know there are many who have not had the blessings I have had and that my obstacles and disappointments over the past decade are not as tough as some of the ones others have gone through. I have been fortunate that for a good chunk of this year I have not been dealing with a lot of severe discouragement and it has been good for me in many ways. However, in the past week I have had a few large discouraging things happen in my life that have knocked me down into a pit of discouragement. They have produced a great deal of fears and caused a lot of doubts in my life. I am slowly working through these and seeking God to find where He is leading me and asking Him to carry me through what I can't do on my own. There has been one thing that has been growing on my heart though this time though that I am starting to give a good deal of thought about. There are a lot of people right now who have been in severe discouragement from many disappointments. Now that I am going through some form of that it has reminded me of how it effects us in many ways that are often forgotten by those trying to help us out of discouragement. These can also be used by God to help other people as understanding what people are going through is a huge part of being capable of helping others through them. I would never choose or want the discouragement I have been through, but in a way I can thank God and praise Him for the understanding He has given me of the things we feel and go through in these things to better comfort and relate to those going through them. It is often said people want to know we care before what we know.

When I think about the hardest thing of everything I have been dealing with lately, at the core root it goes to feeling let down by God. Not that long ago before I began to understand grace more I was feeling discouraged because I at some deep level felt God was letting me down because for nearly a decade now I have lived my life surrendered to Christ and serving Him has been my primary focus in everything I have done and stepped out in doing. With the teaching in popular Christian culture on expecting God's blessings when we are serving and giving of our time, finances, life and doing our best to honor Him while going through the discouragement I was going through it was especially at times hurtful. Recently I read a book on grace and my view on the blessings of God has shifted to them being based on grace in placing our faith in Jesus and not relying on our works to deserve blessings, but recieving grace by faith from the imparted righteousness of Jesus and all the works flowing from that, but not looking towards works in anyway for blessings. Simply because in trying to earn God's favor in keeping His laws for blessing if I fail to keep even one small part, I am guilty of breaking them all. Trying to earn or deserve God's favor is something I tried doing in a way unknowingly in the way I was for nearly a decade and it was hard, very hard. Now being awake to grace and being free of that I have began to experience more freedom and life in many ways.

However, in the past week I experienced a few very discouraging things and one in particular was very hurtful in feeling God had let me down in a promise in a big way. Yet, He has taken care of me and has provided, just that it was in a way that was not easy and since then it has produced in me many fears if I can really trust God to provide and experience His blessings, not because I earned or deserved them, but because I am his son and have placed my trust in his grace as a man justified before Him because of the imparted righteousness of Jesus. Everything that I have studied and learned in the word has me 100% certain of this and I believe that the Holy Spirit has confirmed it to me as well, but my subjective experience has not been confirming the objective truth that I have come to hold in my heart. This is the core thing in me that has caused me to some degree a level of agony of disappointment and with it a lot of fears if I can trust God to provide and guide me.  

Yet, there is a great deal of freedom in what I have come to grasp in grace, I still believe and hold to what I have learned about grace and even though I have struggled now with the feelings I have had and experienced doubts and fears, I still am confident in keeping my faith placed in the finished work of Christ and justification and imparted righteousness of Christ before God. I have tried relying on myself and battling with my own ability and it failed. In my doubts and fears, I still realize that I can not save myself nor earn God's favor or blessings with out again having doubts or fears and failing to never sin again to thwart them. That is something that I did want to get across in this entry as it has been life giving and nearly every day now since understanding grace I hear friends, family and people around me say things on their life that are life taking in relying on their own efforts and not on grace. I am more convinced than ever that grace, what we have thought to be so simple and basic, is something very few of us really have embraced or understood. We are saved by grace, because we can not save ourselves, why we have been so blinded that we are blessed by grace, not from sinless perfect obedience to God (which we can not do) and I think not understanding that grace is crippling the church today.

Yet, here I am with an experience, having embraced and trusted fully in Jesus, believing and receiving not just the forgiveness of my sins, but coming to God with the imparted righteousness of Jesus, not holding back because of my sins, nor foolishly holding on to my works or obedience to what He has called me to do in life - and discouragement has come. Yet, the more I lean on Jesus and His grace, the more I am feeling lifted out of this pit. 

I don't have all the answers and perhaps this is simply a case of waiting for God, but as I have come to understand grace, it is not something far away and long delayed when coming to God. Maybe it is a matter of me simply not yet fully grasping grace and receiving and experiencing it. My sins, my disobedience, my faults, my works - anything of or by me is no longer a factor in what I am experiencing because the only thing of us that counts is our right believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ and with all our heart believing Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins by His finished work, and for the imparted righteousness of Him, to us, by faith, another part of His finished work. I've began to experience the fruit of this truth, joys, peace, life and freedom and in many ways. Maybe I have not grasped it fully yet though and God is waiting for me to embrace Him more to free me or maybe this is a test to help me grow in His grace. God as our loving father I am also convinced tests us only to prosper us, and in prosper, a word often tarnished today, I mean in it's proper meaning, to move forward, and there is no one who can refute that God does not have it in His will to move us forward in every area of our life.

What I have noticed though that in this time of struggle, with fears, doubts and discouragement is that moving forward and getting out of this pit is hard and is like a being in a pit and we can't get out of it on our own. In the past when I have fallen in this pit, I had to call out to God to lift me out, because in the pit, the effect on our thinking and our mind is sheer toxic and mentally and spiritually can disable us from moving forward. It takes God, reaching down and picking us up to get us out of it and that often can involve people to help in the process.

There are a lot of people struggling right now and stuck in a pit. I've known it as we all have for a while now, but having fallen in a pit myself this week, it is a reminder of what it is like to be in the pit and how desperately we need help out of it. It has me wondering how can I help others find courage and gain the knowledge to turn to God and to receive and experience His grace to get out of it. How can I help rally God's people to help pull others in the pit out - and we have to be out of the pit to help pull another out of it. 

If you are in any kind of discouragement and in a small pit or a large pit and really need help only the right understanding of God's grace and I think in some way finding and being around others who will help you out of the pit - will help you out of it.

Put this all to thought and prayer and ask God to direct you and lead you in prospering, that is moving forward, in all areas of your life, not in your own effort ability, but in His grace to change you, produce in you real life and to guide you. 

That is what I am doing and because I need help, to get from here, to where God is leading me, as pulls me out of the pit, and gives me direction, I can start walking there and so can you. If you need help, ask God and expect Him to help you in finding community with a local church or body of believers to walk with you in it. I know God has greatly used others in this walk and seeking God to help pull me out of the pit I fell in and they are I am sure going to have a role in helping me get from here to where God is leading me too. He will do the same for you too. 
]]> Controversy is of the Devil tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.201 2011-09-29T07:02:19Z 2011-09-29T08:10:28Z With a title for this entry like I've chosen - I want to do it in such a way that I leave very little room for any controversy. I defeat the purpose of this entry otherwise.I am not going to... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1
With a title for this entry like I've chosen - I want to do it in such a way that I leave very little room for any controversy. I defeat the purpose of this entry otherwise.

I am not going to reference or give any names in this and I don't want this to be about promoting or attacking anyone in the body of Christ, but to simply be something that promotes a spirit of encouragement, love and bringing the body of Christ closer to being a body working as God desires.

This morning I read a title of a blog entry that one of my friends shared. When I read the title I instantly thought it was a marketing tactic to get people to read it, but wasn't really going to conclude with the idea it planted by the title or was written from a source against Church and or followers of Christ in general. 

I did not expect the entry to actually be what the title presented.

I don't even want to use the title or anything close to it of what I read. 

I'll start with this.

The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.
- Proverbs 18:17

I can certainly see how the author could come to the thoughts they expressed and how they could come to the statements they made. However, as I wrote my friend back I began to think and read through the article more and it started to seem less and less right and more and more wrong. 

The more I read the blog entry, the more I felt behind the well made points, was a unseen force. The fruit or the spirit of the blog entry, did not promote or produce a feeling of blessing, healing or restoring the body of Christ and or bringing glory to God from what I experienced in reading it. Rather it seemed to produce a feeling, a fruit, that didn't sit well and felt like a brother in the family tearing down another brother.

The feeling I felt myself with was sadness. Real sadness.

Why do we as the body of Christ attack and tear down each other. Why are we so quick to think we are to correct and rebuke on things that are not clearly outlined in scripture as wrong? 

The thought of the entry I read is that when a church has more than one campus and uses remote video to beam a pastor into other campuses to preach and teach that it is Satan behind the motives of doing it. That is not the exact wording, but anyone who has read the article - I think it is safe to assume that my summary of the entry is close to the entry's point.

I want to make it clear what view and thought I am coming from in writing this as it is going to influence the lens I am writing this through in my worldview. 

First, I never expected I would be writing a article or blog entry defending churches having multiple campuses that use video to beam a pastor in to preach on video. Simply because I would never go to a church that did it. I am fine with a church I go to beaming video out to another campus, but I personally want to see a real person preaching at the church I go to.

If I'm honest it is because of my own selfishness and or feeling of entitlement to having a pastor in person preach in the church I attend for me to listen to in person. If I am fortunate enough to get to also know that pastor, then also so I get to see Him that Sunday too. Even in an age with video chat and being able to talk to loved ones far away on video - it does not compare to being in the same room with them. 

Then there I think is a bit of rebellion in my heart too with the idea, because well if I wanted to watch a pastor preach on a video, I would stay at home and watch him on TV - not drive to church and burn up gas. Of course church is more than the pastor, it is about family, and seeing your church family.

So it is not because I am a big fan of multi-campus churches that beam a pastor in on video to preach I am writing this, but it is because it deeply saddens me when we attack and tear down each other and point fingers calling what others are doing to serve God as being of Satan. 

If I had multiple sons, I do not have any kids yet, but if I did, and they were grown men, and each preaching in churchs, in different ways, and one or more began calling the work others were doing of Satan, I think it would grive me. 

I can't speak for God on this, but I don't think it is a huge jump to say, God, our Father, is not likely pleased when we as His kids attack and tear down the work of our brothers. 

I could be wrong, but that is the heart and spirit in which I am prompted to write this entry. My hope is not to prove or show one right, and the other wrong, but to bring a bond of brotherhood and unite pastors for the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think in this so far, I have made it clear I am not a big fan cheering for multi site campuses and I am not lighting a torch to go on a crusade against them. What I am wanting to do, is to encourage and give everyone, regardless of your church model, thoughts on the topic to give consideration and think how we best serve and love our brothers in Christ in all churches.

I should also state that I am not about any individual or ministry's agenda or mission, I am sold out and surrendered to the advancement of only one Kingdom, and that is God's Kingdom. Each local church, is part of the universal Church, the body of Christ, and that is the focus of my life in serving. I am connected and serving in a local church, and I love being a part of it, I feel the love and joy of God in serving with tasks I help with there. Yet, my heart is for all of God's people and to encourage the body of Christ as a whole with my life, not just those who choose to be a part of the church and or ministries I am a part of.

If someone pastors a church of 30 and another a church of 30,000 - if both are doing what God is telling them to do, when He tells them and how - they are about doing the father's business and that sits well with me. 

While we would all agree that a goal of having the biggest or a big and powerful church with influence is a wrong motive, I don't find a desire to go around rebuking those who are mislead by that false motive. I would imagine that being a pastor of a big church like that is often, a very isolating and lonely thing. I would also guess that those who get to that place, who wanted it so bad, when they get there, find it lonely and unfullfilling and see no way to ever return to the life they once had. I don't envy people who end up in the spot light like that, those who seek it or who end up in it, it I think would be isolating and lonely and a lot to carry. I also don't suppose that being in that spot light, having brothers and sisters attacking what they are doing as being of Satan is all that encouraging or of God's desire.

With that said, I now want to respond to the points in the article against having more than one church campus and using video to have a pastor preach to more than one campus at once on the basis that it is of Satan. Not to show them wrong, but to present their thoughts in such a way that they can be something to think about for those who feel led in that way of church building and those who are embarking on a crusade against them presuming to think God is calling them to crusade against His Church (the body of Christ) that reside under a multi campus church.

The article starts out alright and the arthur goes on to say he does not think any of the arguments for a multi site campus are persuasive. He goes on to say he should leave it at that. I agree, he should have. However, he did not and went on. 

I think for him personally or anyone with these thoughts, they are good things to discuss among those who are looking into them. However, to write a entry to the public and with the title that they are inspired by the devil does not build up or encourage or enrich the body of Christ, but rather tears it down. That saddens me. 

The author goes on to say that multi site churches are rooted in idolatry. I am not going to argue this one way or the other. He may in some cases be right, but most likely not in all.

I am writing this to be as non controversal as possible, so that it is not something that tears down my brothers in Christ who are pastors, but rather encourages and builds them up, regardless of their church building methods.

So I want to remind everyone that the only heart, the only motive we know, is our own. 

Apart from a pastor putting an idol of a God up and telling their congregation to start worshiping it, or to start denying the person of Jesus and or any of the truths of who He is and everything with that, requires us to judge the heart or motive of another, and we can not know the heart or motive of another, only God does. 

He goes on about this, but it all I think is answered from what I just wrote above in a good way and how to respond to it. We don't know the hearts of others, and can not judge them. Actions are one thing, but the heart and motive behind them are another and we can't tell what they are, so it is dangerous to judge them. Sometimes we can have a good idea perhaps by actions we observe, but we also don't always know the full story there either.

The author then writes that not having the video and multi campus method provides a more accountable method for the pastor to his church. That can very likely be true, but with one campus or many, if the church does not have checks and balances and the pastor have people in his life who know him well - problems are more probable to happen because of that over the number of campuses. 

I've had pastors who I looked up to and respected at churches I attended for a season in my life fall and they were very different churches, but in both cases there was not accountability or transparency as there could have been. One had multi site campuses and the other did not - the problem was not the number of campuses. 

He thens goes on to say that preaching to a church in person is in the Bible, and thus on Biblical grounds - where as being beamed into a church is not. By this same thought, what about the printing press? There is no printing press in the Bible and most of the Christians - did not have a full copy of the Bible (let alone multiple copies). I don't think we would say because the printing press is not in the Bible, it is not within biblical grounds to print bibles so people can have the word of God to read on their own. What about the Jesus film being used to go all around the world, from which local churches are established there, with millions of people having come to faith in Christ from that movement. What about the actors in the Jesus film? There are no examples of actors in the Bible in that manner, stories read to people, yes, but not recorded actors in films to advance the gospel. What about the actors who have played Jesus in movies over the years? Did at one time people have concern about that since people may make the image of the actor out to be an image of who Jesus is? There are no paintings or drawings of Jesus to the best of my knowledge, and that may have been with purpose. Most of the paintings we see are based on artist guesses or ideas, but not actual photos or paintings. Yet, the idea of people making actors into images of idols does not negate the use of the Jesus film to advance the gospel around the world.

The statement of my preacher is better than your preacher being made is also not a good one. Such a statement could also be stated as our church is reaching everyone in our community, we don't need you to start a church campus here and beam in your pastor. If that was the case, who would come to a new church campus? Why would there be any thought to plant a church campus there? 

If the we have a local pastor who preaches and knows us is correct, then why would people leave a church to go to one where a pastor is beamed in on a screen? I do not think anyone who has a feeling of being cared for and loved by their pastor in the flesh and in person would have any desire to leave to go to a church where a pastor is beamed in on a video screen to preach. At least I personally would not. 

I value knowing and feeling that my pastor cares for me as part of his flock and while I find his preaching also good, even if a pastor with better preaching came into town on a video screen I would not leave. I am loyal to my church and it is like family to me. This is something though that I have as a personal view of church, it is like family and my commitment to being a member at a church, is like family. The last church I was a member at, when I left because of multiple reasons, I experienced what I can only describe as church divorce, it was sad, and not a easy season in my life. If in our church, we experience family, even if the preaching or the worship is not the best, we remain loyal to family and we are loved and give love to our church family.

The argument of one pastor should do all the preaching for the campuses because he is good is the wrong statement or question to be working with. Does the lead pastor feel called by God to be doing it? That is the question that should be asked. If no, then they should find others to preach, if yes then they should preach in that way. 

If anyone in the church thinks that is wrong, then the thing is not should it be done, the thing of focus is that they do not feel their head pastor is obeying God and perhaps they should find another church. That is not a controversial thought, but simply one based on the premesis that if you don't believe your pastor is hearing and following God on that, how can you in confidence believe the sermons or other parts of the church are not following that example? The outcome of this is not easy, and leaving a church where you have family, is not easy, but is supporting a pastor you believe is in disobedience to God right? Ultimately you have to take it to God and do what He leads you to do in that, but it is something to think and pray about.

As for elevating one pastor over the others, there has to be a chain of command, God does not call committies of pastors to lead a church. The statement then made that it neglects the development of other preachers who are not good enough, is also a indication of the view of the author. If you are called to do something, you will be doing it in some form, regardless of title or job you are given by other people, if you are called to preach, and you don't have a role to preach at your church, you will be preaching in some form, in some way, if you are called to preach. If you sit around waiting to be given a job or title so then one day you will do what you are called to do then are you really called to do it? I would say start praying for opportunities to preach, and or jobs or pray about starting a church plant to go and preach. 

That leads me to something else, I would guess that most multi site campuses were started or were grown by the pastors that are being beamed into multi site campuses. They did not seek to be given a place to teach or preach, they were led by God to start a church and it grew from there. God is not a respector of persons, if you are called to preach, start praying, and He will open the doors to do so. 

The author then goes on to say a church does not grow because of a gifted preacher, but because of God growing the church. This statement is in support of what I just wrote, if you are called to preach, pray about starting a church or being given a role to preach. We must however guard against a feeling of entitlement to being given a church to take over and preach at and thank and praise God for the size of the church He blesses us with to preach or teach at. If you are given a chance to preach to a group of 20 and feel you should preach to a church no less than 100 and pass it up, when you have nothing else lined up where you can preach, perhaps the thing God is first going to work on is not your preaching growth and skills, but on your pride and feeling of entitlement.

The author goes on to say that these campuses are retarting the growth of young men with a gift of preaching and that the gift of preaching is developed by preaching. This is only half true. The gift of preaching is develped by preaching, but the gift of preaching is not enabled or retarted by other men, but only by our own actions. We can look to great preachers of the past to see this, just look at John Wesley, by all mens accounts a very impactful preacher, who was not given prime preaching church roles to develop his preaching from start to finish without huge bumps along the way, rather he was often ran out of town, and asked never to come back to churches and yet he would then go and preach on side walks and it is even said when he went to preach in a pasture that tens of thousands of people later came to hear him preach. He did not develop his preaching waiting for other men to give him a slot to preach, he kept preaching, in what ever way he could, because he was called to preach.

The idea that a multi site church loses the local church because there is not a local pastor preaching there is basing a church in being built upon the local pastor, not the body of believers who go there. If we are going to say that beaming a pastor in from afar on a video, is making them an idol, because they are the center, then we would also be saying that the local pastor, is needed, and is a center of our local church, without them, we are not a local church.

The idea that the multi site campus works but that it can't really be determined if it works for decades out is pushing it. By that measure, what about the Jesus film? What about the printing press? What about the common man having a Bible, every common man, having it, to read and understand on their own? Those were both once things not common. What about Sunday School? What about electricity in churches? What about A/C in them? 

My friend shared that we need to "correct and rebuke" people as the word says. I later pointed out that after "correct and rebuke" comes "encourage with great patience and careful instruction".

I hope that this may encourage and set an example of great patience for those who are called to a small church and those who are called to multi site campuses. I also hope it is a reminder that to correct we should do so when it is clearly something that is in violation of the word, and it should not be on what we in our best guess think the heart and or motive of another is doing in their actions. We can guess wrong. Before we rebuke, we should try to correct and always with encouragement and in great patience and offering instruction on what can be done to remedy the concern in our best understanding of it.

I can see where the author came from, but as the word says "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." Proverbs 18:17. 

I am also reminded that is something is of God it will grow, if not, it will cease (Acts 5:39) and God does not need us to judge the hearts and minds of our brothers - He knows the hearts and the motives of them, we do not. We can only guess, and rebuking is harmful when we are guessing - remember Job's friends?

There are movements in Christianity I do not agree with, but the word does not prohibit the things I don't agree with, and saying those things I don't like are of Satan, is a dangerous thing. 

"And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges." - Matthew 12:27. 

Is it by that spirit that people are being saved and growing in their relationship with God at multi-site churches? 

I am no fan of multi-site churches, but not because I don't think they are biblical. I am not promoting multi-site churches, nor am I attacking them, but I am making a statement that we should be careful before we speak and careful on what we condem, unless it is clearly outlined in the word.

I want to see my pastor preach in person, but it is a personal preference. 

I do not want to see brothers tearing down the work of other men and women serving God or calling the things they have served in, that have blessed other men and women in their walk with God, being called a movement of Satan. 

Those are my thoughts and I hope they leave you in what ever church you are in giving thanks for your church and those around you who are serving Christ too. 
]]> Honoring The Victims of 9/11 tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.199 2011-09-11T13:42:59Z 2011-09-11T18:54:51Z We all remember where we were on 9/11 when we heard the news, saw the video footage or for some they saw first hand 9/11 happen. We all experienced a grief, shock and horror and have feelings we remember and... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 We all remember where we were on 9/11 when we heard the news, saw the video footage or for some they saw first hand 9/11 happen. We all experienced a grief, shock and horror and have feelings we remember and still carry when we recall 9/11.

I am reminded of the thing that grieved me the most on 9/11 and that I have heard few people say anything about. It is I am most certain the one thing that the victims of 9/11 with all their heart, emotions and strength want us to know. The one thing I felt and thought then was how many of those who died were not ready for eternity. While none of them likely had even a thought that 9/11 would be the day they stepped into eternity, now, 10 years later, that is something that I firmly believe every victim on 9/11 that passed into eternity wants us to have on our minds and to take action on.

We never know when we will step into eternity and we should make certain we are ready for eternity today - not putting it off for another day. If you are not certain you are ready for eternity, Billy Graham's ministry has put up a website at http://www.needhim.com with a guide to help you make sure you are ready for it. 

We may have years, or decades left in this life, but we never know, when we will step over into eternity and it is something too important to put off for another day. If we could speak to the victims of 9/11 that lost their lives on that day, I am certain they would all tell us today, there is nothing more important in this life than taking time to make certain we are ready for eternity. It is how we best honor them, we can put up monuments and hold memorials and those are all good things, but in 10,000 years all the monuments and memorials we held will be long gone, but eternity will have just began and this is why eternity is something we need to be ready for because once it comes, it will surpass the importance of every temporal thing in our life.

I am not certain if this is something that is even controversial to talk about, but should I enter into eternity from some tragedy, this is the only thing I would want people to think about in honoring me, to make certain that they are ready for eternity. I firmly believe every victim of 9/11 that lost their life is in agreement with me, for their loved ones, for us all. 

Finally, for the many loved family and friends of the victims left behind and the injured or disabled and all those who personally suffered from 9/11, there is nothing apart from the love of God that can bring healing in such tragedy. I can't think of anything more honoring to you, than to help point you towards the only one who can bring healing in such tragedy. I could help with many good and honoring things, but only the love of God will bring about healing from such tragedy.

There is nothing more honoring to those left behind than to honor them in helping them find healing and peace from the love of God.
]]> My Vision Video tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.198 2011-09-08T18:10:17Z 2011-09-08T18:12:22Z Back in 2007 I saw a video and learned of the concept of making a vision video. I thought the concept was a great idea and would be helpful for me to learn more of who I am and what... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1

Back in 2007 I saw a video and learned of the concept of making a vision video. I thought the concept was a great idea and would be helpful for me to learn more of who I am and what I want to do with my life. So over the next few months I set out to make a vision video. 

It was a long and at times frustrating process. A vision video is a personal video of things you aspire to do, are doing, who you are and who you want to become. I was 27 at the time and still figuring out a lot of the answers to these questions, though I had strong clear general direction.

I based mine on what the scriptures say as to who I am as a man in Christ. I know some of what I want to do and who I am, but over the years I have learned more of those answers, as we all do. God who knew us before we were created, knows who we are and as such I looked to the scriptures to learn more of who I am as a new creation in Christ. 

That is the context from which I based my vision video, my greatest and biggest vision, dreams and desires, could never be to the maximum and full capacity that they can be, apart from a revelation from God, who knows who I am and what is within me, to become to be the best in all I can do, so I based my vision video from that perspective.

Ask yourself what am I doing with my life, what are my goals, what is my heart's desire, why am I here, what is my purpose, what legacy will I leave, will my time here make a lasting impact? 

You were meant for something - do you know what that is? Few do. 

Since I based this vision video on what the scriptures say, as to what and who I am as a man, a follower of Jesus, this is equally true for other men, who are followers of Jesus. Many parts also applicable to women, but of course this is a video that uses verses for men, but women can also find direction in many of the verses used.

I had to change the sound track since youtube said the ones I had timed and setup were copyrighted. So the sound track along with it doesn't line up that well and is not what I had on it at first. It still works alright though.

If the video is a blessing and inspiration to you. Feel free to leave a comment.
]]> Snowball It Holy Spirit Style tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.197 2011-09-07T04:13:46Z 2011-09-07T17:28:46Z When you start a small ball of snow on top of a hill and release it to roll in faith, it rolls, as though on a mountain, and it grows in size and speed accordingly. While God has us start... Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1

In the past few weeks the Lord has guided me in setting in place motions that have been of a easy yoke and a light burden, more like burdens of light. The first few years I entered into this, I often found myself trying to force and shove a yoke that was not easy and a burden that was not light. These are all things we learn with experience having followed where the Lord leads us, but hopefully in some ways I can help others by pass what I went through.

With The Call now out and a focused peace in waiting on the Lord to provide what is needed - the snow ball has been set in motion Holy Spirit style - which means letting and trusting Him to move it as the unseen agent in it.

There is something to be said about being filled with joy and at peace with an excitement and expectancy in walking with the Lord. It is a glorious thing.
]]> Making it Simple - Vision tag:www.desiredlife.org,2011:/epic_walk//1.193 2011-09-02T00:51:50Z 2011-09-02T03:28:28Z Matt http://www.desiredlife.org/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1 One major question and challenge in answering it since God gave me the vision for what has become DLM is what is the ministry about? What does it do? This is a loaded question. 

Over the years I have learned to take a lot of mission, vision and purpose of calling for what DLM is and to summarize it better each time. You can read all about that in more depth on the DLM about page. Yet, this has always been a question I did not like being asked because to answer it quickly, as most people want a fast and short and simple answer to the question would be like having 100 grandchildren and telling someone the names of only 10 because of time. At least that has been how I have felt in a way, wanting others to experience all of what I've experienced and to be a part of the wonderful joys of it. To share only a little, seemed to me to not be sharing all it is and is to be. 

This past week as I have felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to begin to crawl into what is being awakened with DLM I have also began to feel God calling me to direct the focus of DLM into one of the 3 major purposes of DLM in the lifemap model as it's core focus.

While I am passionate about helping people in walking with Jesus to come to know Him and to have their hearts restored and healed to love Him, and to help people grow in the renewal of the mind to both help them maintain a heart to follow and love Him and to be ready to enter into the specific vision God gives them within their calling following that process - all of that points to raising up visionaries for God's Kingdom. 

God does not heal our hearts and bless us to just remain a blessing to us, but to bless us that we might go on to bless others to go in making His name known to others and in Knowing Him better. It is in this that I have come to the decision to make the focus of DLM on raising up visionaries for the Kingdom of God. 

This process of raising up visionaries starts in helping people know what their spiritual lives have to do with the rest of their lives, and that through the life map model to lead them into their calling and the vision God has for their life as visionaries within it. A visionary sees things far down the road and walks towards them in faith because of what they see and the impact they believe it is going to have on the world. As a visionary, my vision is in raising up thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of visionaries because I know the joy and the Lord's heart is for the world to know Him. Visionaries play a role in this process. 

A visionary as I see it is not a vision deemed worthy by the world, but a vision given to us directly by God. This may be to raise and teach your kids right and to know and follow God to be visionaries who go on to impact the world for Christ - many men and women who have done so had parents that raised them with this intent. Their parents were visionaries who were faithful to the vision and calling they had to raise their kids in a way set apart. 

While God may give some people a literal vision, something they see or a dream they actually dream and know it is from God, that is not the way God gave me the vision that become DLM. I began to since God speaking to me and over a period of time came to know that I was being called to a ministry to impact the world. I initially thought it would be through a young men's ministry and that made since as I had years prior been given a vision to start a Christian Fraternity in college (though that did not happen as our charter was not issued before I graduated - but I would later be grateful that it was being fulfilled in a better way though the vision for a young men's ministry). In the coming year God would expand and show me more of the vision of what grew into DLM.

After I was given the initial vision I wanted to be certain and sought confirmation from God and I was given it 6 or 7 days in a row in a very powerful way that spoke deeply to me each time. When we believe God is giving us a vision, I think are wise to seek confirmation on it and ask God to so instill and confirm it. When things do not go as we expect they will, and they will not, having a certainty of the vision God has given us will be important when everything around us tries to bring that vision into question and our own fears and doubts linger around that vision as well in those times. Knowing what God calls us to and being certain it important for when the hard times come - we are wise to make sure the seeds of the vision God gives us are in good soil and the roots go deep for when the storms come. It is only because I did that, that now 6 years later, after God gave me the vision that has become DLM I have a strong hold on it in faith and it doesn't stretch my faith to believe it is going to be fulfilled. When God gave me the vision I had only a mustard seed of faith and I thought I was moving a hill, but God with that seed of faith often intends to move a mountain - but knows what we can handle and will reveal to us more when we are ready.

So it is with great joy and excitement I announce the new simple vision of DLM - to empower visionaries. The about page will be updated shortly as the life map aspects are currently listed as the vision of DLM, but that is not a clear and simple vision and while they are part of the process, the end vision, the focus is to raise up visionaries to impact the Kingdom of God.

I had no idea just days ago when I reissued the call after several years that the focus was going to shift on DLM to raising up visionaries. I can't help but wonder what visionaries God is going to raise up from among those He calls to respond from the call. These are crawling days for DLM, the time will come for us to start to walk, but these are good days to rejoice in what God is doing with DLM.
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