Akiane

Jenney just bought a book for my mom's birthday about this young girl named Akiane Kramarik. She is considered a child prodigy in the field of art and poetry.

"Co-Creating" (Self-Portrait) painted at age 11

Born to poor, atheistic parents, Akiane encountered God at age 4 and developed an intimate relationship with Him. She was given the gift to draw/paint and write poetry. Her family eventually came into faith because of her undeniable talent and sincere passion to share God's love with others. Her remarkable story was both moving and unsettling for me. I was inspired by her innocence, spirituality, genius, humility, and compassion for people. It reminded me of the Beatitude that says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8). It took me some time to realize this, but my discomfort with her testimony stemmed from a subtle envy of her special connection with the Father. I have been a Christian many more years than Akiane, yet she has a personal relationship with God I am still striving for. Her moments with God are not only the inspiration for her art they are the purpose of her being.

"Father Forgive Them" painted at age 9

I am slowly learning the difference between being religious and being in a love relationship. The latter promotes intimacy, the former is merely ritual. For too long, I have practiced religion- I am now seeking relationship. This school year is about experiencing the passion, presence, and power of our loving Father to the point where we manifest Jesus in our daily lives through the Holy Spirit. Lord, pour out your Spirit!

"I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28

Raising Up Revivalists

The first two days of school have been truly amazing! We started our morning by going straight into praise and worship for over one hour. It was awe inspiring to be gathered with over 700 students from all around the world, lifting our hands together in song to our Heavenly Father. I was personally overwhelmed in reflecting on our journey to Redding and how testimonies of risk and faithfulness were represented by each of my classmates. These people were not only obedient to His call, but many have sacrificed much to get here. All were passionately hungry for God. It was a foreshadowing of heaven.

Our student handbook stated the mission of the school was to call out the revivalist in each of us. Their definition of revivalist is as follows:

"A believer who is focused and passionate, willing to pay any price to live in puirty and power because they are loved by God and love Him, whose manifest presence transforms lives and cultures."

I believe the Holy Spirit is moving to raise up a generation who will usher in the greatest revival our world has ever experienced. My heart's desire is to be a part of it. I pray it will be yours too.

Bethel Begins

Classes for Bethel's School of Supernatural Ministry begin tomorrow. The anticipation is palpable for what lies ahead. Many have asked how we decided upon this program. I have been hesitant to share our story in the past but I am learning that testimony has the power to increase faith and open the door for God to do something similar or even greater in the life of the hearer. So may this testimony give glory to God and draw you closer to His presence!

Bethel, which means "house of God", is our new church home

In the summer of 2007, I was in a prayer meeting at our former church where the leader selected II Peter 1:3-15 as our focus. The statement that stuck out to me was verse 3:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him, who called us by his own glory and goodness."

I asked God right then and there how we unleash his power in our lives, since Peter states it has already been given to us. This question originated from a hunger to see the works of Jesus in my life and ministry (i.e.- healing, casting out demons, prophecy, etc). God's immediate and direct response to me was to do a 40 day fast. Apprehensive at first, I began speaking with Jenney and we confirmed through prayer that this was something we were being called to do. I say "we" because, although Jenney did not physically fast with me (as she was in her 3^rd month of pregnancy with Abigail), my wife is my biggest supporter and encourager. And so on July 23, 2007 I began a 40 day fast for the Lord. Again, I share this not out of a desire to gain spiritual accolades, for fasting is a work of the flesh of which there is no boasting. Rather I want to declare the Holy Spirit's move in our lives and allow the testimony to encourage and transform others.

On the ninth day of the fast I started to feel ill. By 8:30 pm I had a fever and chills and couldn't stay warm, even though it was in the middle of summer. I began to pray fearing that if I got sick I would have to end the fast. I was able to fall asleep for about an hour and when I awoke my fever was gone and I was no longer cold but very warm! I found out later that Jenney was downstairs praying for me. Not only was I healed, I was able to hear the Holy Spirit in my mind and it was wonderful. I know that the Holy Spirit resides in us and that he intercedes, instructs, and illumines. But up to that point in my life, I had never been able to speak with the Holy Spirit so freely. The first thing the Holy Spirit did was teach me Scripture. The Spirit talked about the Parable of the Sower. I always thought this contrasted believers (good soil) and non-believers (rocky soil, path, and thorns). However the Holy Spirit instructed me that this message can apply solely to the believer as well. Even as Christians we have a responsibility to make sure our heart is "good soil" for the word to take root and flourish.

Throughout the rest of the fast and beyond, my journey of conversing with the Holy Spirit continued. In January of 2008, I woke up and the Holy Spirit said very clearly, "You are going to move". However, it did not tell me where or when. A few weeks later, Jenney and I were attending a prophetic conference at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena. We had the privilege of receiving a prophetic session with a group of intercessors. Jenney and Isaac went in first to get prayed for and, after they were finished, I entered the room. The leader introduced me and said I was the husband of the woman they had just prayed for. One of the intercessors shared how she saw a vision of a boat on water while praying for Jenney but wasn't able to tell her because of time. When Jenney exited the room, the vision went away but as soon as I walked in the exact same vision of the boat came to her. When she learned that we were married she realized it was a vision for our family. The intercessor interpreted the vision by saying God is preparing us for a journey or move. Later in February, I had a very vivid dream. Growing up I used to have nightmares and I think the way my mind coped was to forget my dreams as soon as I woke up. However, since the fast God has been giving me dreams and allowing me to remember them. In this dream, I was in front of a stage and this young woman was praying for me. As she was praying she said she saw luggage but did not interpret what it meant. There was a pastor on the stage who exclaimed that he saw luggage too and immediately he said, "That means you are moving!".

Three times in a span of two months, I was getting a clear word to prepare for a move. But I still did not know when or where. I had been ready to seek an ordained call in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for over a year but did not feel prepared or convicted to pursue that route. The next logical option was to go back to school. However, upper level seminary degrees (ThM, PhD) are more geared for teaching in academia. I wanted to stay in the church setting and so I began exploring practical ministry training programs. That is when I learned about Bethel's School of Ministry. When I read their overview and emphasis on the Holy Spirit's power in advancing the Kingdom, my spirits were elevated because this program captured the desires of my heart. I did not know it at the time but I discovered that the overseer of the school (Kris Vallotton) was the pastor in my dream who saw luggage and said I was going to move. There were many other words and confirmations but it would take too long to write them out in this entry. We are excited for this new beginning and look forward to even greater testimonies of following the Lord!

Our family in front of the prayer chapel

Parenting for a Purpose

Being a parent is a limitless joy and a daily test of character, more than I ever imagined. I not only have greater respect for parenting but also those families with more than two children. The game plan changes with every additional child. With one child, parents can press. Two children moves you to a man to man defense. Three or more kids and you are required to go into an undermanned zone. Whatever defensive scheme we employ, our goal is the same in parenting- raising godly offspring. In fact the Bible teaches this is one of the main purposes of marriage. Malachi 2:15 in the Message says:

"God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that's what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you."

What a serious and divine calling we have to train our young people to love and serve God. It is becoming more clear that my relationship with Jesus influences my children's relationship with Jesus. My passion, faithfulness, devotion, worship, and sacrifice are the foundation for their growth in the Lord. It is a humbling thought. I have also heard that, in a spiritual sense, the parents' ceiling is the children's floor. This means that Isaac can begin his faith journey at the point of his parents' faith, thus giving him the potential to go further than us. Another way to understand this principle is using the analogy of science and technology. Our generation "stands on the shoulders" or benefits from the advances and discoveries of those who came before us. We have moved from candles and lanterns to light bulbs and flashlights to lasers and fiber optics. In this way, we should expect progress from future generations. May the Holy Spirit empower us to raise up our children to even greater faith, love, worship, and advancement of the Kingdom of God!

Our kids growing in passion for the Lord

Beyond Principle

For most of my Christian walk, principles have guided the way I live. This is a good strategy to follow, especially if our values are derived from the Bible. However, I am beginning to learn that living on principle is not enough. There must be revelation or, as Bill Johnson said in today's sermon, "presence". To remain only on the level of principle reduces our faith to religion whereas abiding in the presence of God elevates us to live in a divine relationship. Our Heavenly Father longs for his children to live out Kingdom principles but not at the expense of loving fellowship. For example, Jesus commissioned us to go into all the world to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). The principle is that we are to be focused and actively engaged in sharing the good news to all people. However, when the apostle Paul wanted to preach the gospel in Asia, God said no (cf. Acts 16). In "When Heaven Invades Earth", Johnson notes that what God had said for all believers appeared to be in conflict with what God was saying to Paul.

Required reading for 1st year students

God never contradicts His word but He is willing to contradict our understanding of His word. Though we may know the will of God from Scripture (principle), we still need the Holy Spirit (presence) to help us with the interpretation, application, and empowerment to accurately carry out His will [pp 49-50]. My prayer now is for my family to live beyond principle- to a place of holy presence with Jesus. I believe when we strive for this, the wisdom, power, and spiritual fruit we have been longing after will be manifest.

"So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ."
Romans 10:17 (NASB)

The Big God of Little Things

Redding is not as "small-town" as we thought it would be. Apparently, many people have been moving to the area in the past two decades to retire, find cheaper housing, and/or experience a slower pace of life. The rise in population has been accompanied by big city amenities such as Barnes & Noble, Costco, and Macy's. Trader Joe's is even scheduled to open a store early next year just down the street from us. Jenney apparently can't wait because she has already excitedly received a package full of requested TJ goods from one of our friends back in Pasadena. (She's also happy about the In-N-Out and drive-thru Starbuck's.) I also found a Thai restaurant that serves Phở- a noodle soup so addictive it has even spawned a website devoted to spreading the knowledge and appreciation of this Vietnamese staple.

Beef noodle soup laced with MSG

We were curious to see what the Phở tasted like at a Thai restaurant in Redding so we went for lunch today. The place is called Racha Noodle and is actually right next to a small oriental market. Jenney and I really enjoyed our meal and thought the food rivaled what we had in Alhambra. We were so thankful because we believe these little things are truly gifts from God.

This past Sunday, Bill Johnson shared a story of how a woman's finger got healed at a conference he just came back from. She had a crooked finger, but experienced no pain and had full range of motion. There were other more notable healings that took place while he was there but the straightening of this woman's finger really stuck out to him because he marvelled that God would take the time to fix something so seemingly insignificant. Pastor Bill emphasized the Father's love and said, "If it matters to you, it matters to God". I'm not quite sure how I feel about that statement. It requires a lot of faith to believe that's true. The scripture that comes to mind is Hebrews 11:6.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who earnestly seek him."

But if I view this principle through the eyes of a father, with the Father's heart, it makes perfect sense. I care about drumming, pillow houses, snackies, and Little Bear books only because my son enjoys those things. I am willing to experience loud banging, small spaces, Goldfish crackers, and the same story read repeatedly each day because I love Isaac. If it matters to him, it matters to me. How much more so with our Heavenly Father?

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:7-11