The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

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I was looking out the window sipping my coffee at a Holiday Inn express in Sioux Center, Iowa on Sunday morning. My Bible was opened to Psalm 18 as I reflected on verse 30:

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

As I ruminated over the text my thoughts drifted to my son’s college graduation the day before, the wonderful time of celebration, and the continuing of God’s plan for his life. But my heart was also heavy with thoughts of my father-in law Ray seating next to his dear wife Jan of 53 years in Western Michigan, as she struggled with the last moments of life. In both of these diverse circumstances there was a perfect plan that Abba Father would unfold. In the midst of these meditations my phone beeped and I realized I had missed a call. In my spirit I knew what was coming and as I listened to the tearful voicemail of my father-in-law state that the time had come for mom to pass on into eternity. Her fight with Alzheimer’s was over and now she was dancing on streets that were golden with her glorious Savior Jesus Christ.

As I shared the news with the rest of the family, with tears we reflected on how perfect it was in God’s plan to take mom on Mother’s Day. She loved being a mom, and made serving her family one of her top priorities. Now she was being honored as a great mom and daughter of the King of kings, with “well done good and faithful servant enter into your eternal home!”

But not only did Jan receive the perfect Mother’s Day gift we did as well. In our 10 plus hour drive back to Colorado we were being reminded what really matters in this life. Yes graduations, degrees, and vocations have a place in life but to contemplate the eternal and what we all will one day face is of the utmost importance. As we drove Interstate 80 my eyes kept looking up at the sky and my thoughts lingered to what mom was experiencing in heaven, what her renewed mind was comprehending, how as one of our friends texted, “her faith has now become sight!”

Thomas a ‘Kempis, in his powerful devotional Imitation of Christ, declared that the children of God,

“Though they see the things that are present, they contemplate the things that are eternal. They look at the temporal things of earth with their left eye, and with their right eye they behold the eternal things of heaven.”

In the Father’s perfect plan He gave mom a perfect Mother’s Day gift and her family a perfect perspective on keeping our eyes fixed on eternity. Thank you Father!

 

 

Find His Face

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As I was driving up into the mountains North of LA I thought I better give my wife a call before the Souly Business retreat. I’m glad I did because that would be the last time I would talk to her for 2 ½ days. If you want to test whether or not you are addicted to your phone or the media on it try giving it up for a few days. At the Souly Business men’s retreat one of the requirements presented right away was that cell phones were not be seen or heard. As this announcement was made you could sense the pain in the room. No sports updates from March Madness, no texting, emails, Facebook, Instagram, it was an unplugged weekend.

I don’t consider myself too attached to my phone and all the data on it but there was definitely some withdrawal issues going on, as an urge to check my messages was a tad overwhelming at times. Perhaps I’m more addicted than I thought. The goal of the weekend was to encounter the Father and His unfailing love. It is crazy how our culture works against that goal with multiple weapons aimed at distracting us from the most important relationship we could ever have.

 

Cultivating a relationship takes time and the leaders of Souly made sure that we had time to seek after the face of God. Saturday morning we were sent out to find a quiet place in the mountains and ask the Father two questions:

  1. What do you want me to know right now?
  2. Please show me how You care for me and show me how You love me?

After I found the right spot in the sun overlooking a beautiful valley of trees I began asking the Father these questions. It wasn’t long after that I knew He took over my thoughts, and my pen, and overwhelmed me with words of love and encouragement. There was no phone to contend with, no appointments to go to, just Abba, His beautiful creation and me. How He loves to show up when we take time to seek Him.

Reread 2 Chronicles 7:14 notice the place where the words “Seek My face” are:

If my people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face turn from their wicked way….

I see a powerful progression in this verse that prepares us for revival. It starts with humility that leads to prayer, a prayer that becomes passionate about encountering the Face of God. When we find His Face we will find a Father who loves us and desperately wants to help and heal us, which will propel us with the desire to “turn from our wicked ways.” 

Not just in my morning quiet time but throughout the day. To keep the radio off in the car and put social media aside so I can use that time to Find His Face. I challenge you to join me in this quest for seeking His Face and the gifts that come with it. Make time this week to turn off the phone, find a quiet place, and ask your Father the two questions above and wait for His answer. You won’t be disappointed with what He has to say!!!

Attracting the Ruwach of God

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At the end of the Souly Business retreat I received a note from a young man named Jason. Jason was one of the first men I met at the retreat and he was the one who volunteered to carry my bags to the cabin. Over the course of the next few days I would bump into him several times. He would always smile and ask how I was doing, it seemed as if there was some sort of connection going but I couldn’t quite figure it out. Later on I found out that there was indeed a spiritual connection, as Jason was the one assigned to pray for me that weekend. The written note indicated that in his prayers he was asking the Father to touch me with the Holy Spirit and to breathe fresh life into my soul. Each man that attended the Souly retreat for the first time had a “Jason” interceding for him as well.

 

What was the source of the spiritual miracles experienced that weekend? Prayer. Not only was every first time camper assigned a prayer partner, but also every hour of the retreat was covered in prayer. It was touching to look over the list of names inserted into each prayer slot, especially the 12 AM to 6 AM ones. We also learned each speaker was prayed over for 30 minutes before speaking and again 30 minutes after as well. Talk about a prayed over group and a room saturated in prayer! No wonder the words articulated transformed hearts and lives!

 

These prayers, coming from humble servants totally depending on God, attracted the “Ruwach” of God. The Hebrew word Ruwach means the wind, the breath, the power, the very life of God, which comes to us through the Holy Spirit. Prayers birthed out of broken hearts desperate for God will pave the way for a mighty Ruwach of God to revive His people as promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

 

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

I praise God for Jason as well as the leaders of Souly whose humble prayers attracted the Ruwach of God to breathe fresh life into my life as well as so many others that weekend. What is encouraging to me is that this type of prayer is happening all over the world as well. Last week my friend Ray Haakonsen living in South Africa sent several links to a National Day of Prayer event on April 22 called It’s Time. Over a million people gathered on a farm for a day of prayer for their troubled nation. At the very end of the prayer time a powerful Ruwach blew through the crowds, a sign of God hearing the prayers of His people. Don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and look it up for yourself.

 

How our churches need the Ruwach of God to revive us from our lethargy and lukewarm spirit that has led to a nation also in crisis. On May 4 we are called to pray for our nation during the National Day of Prayer. It is undeniable that humble, desperate prayer attracts the Spirit of God as evidenced through Souly Business and what took place a few weeks ago in South Africa. Oh may the Spirit of Christ awaken believers in our nation and beyond as we too cry out for a mighty wind of His Spirit to breath life into “dry bones” desperately in need of a spiritual awakening.

Humility – The Rich Soil for Revival

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Humility-that would be the best word to describe the Souly Business retreat I recently attended. From the time my friend Henry and I pulled up in his truck to the moment we left humility permeated the atmosphere. There were the guys who picked up our bags and carried them to the bunkhouse and those who waited on our tables, which overflowed with a continuous stream of food and beverages, and the great group of burly men who cooked the most amazing meals. All these guys volunteered to come, paid the full price of the retreat and served with heartfelt joy!

This humility also was evident in the speakers who shared during the weekend. There were no rock star presenters, no famous pastors; just ordinary men who humbly shared the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at work in their needy hearts. Usually when a group of men get together there is the insecurity dance that we do making sure our resumes are properly portrayed and tight to keep us ahead of the competition, but not here, not this weekend, titles and trophies didn’t seem to matter much. The spirit of humility once again permeated as corporate executives sat next to ex-cons and homeless men interacted with business owners. The Holy Spirit plowed hardened hearts and broke them apart, pretense gave way to transparency and the deep need for the presence of God.

This weekend reminded me so much of what revival is all about. Revival is bringing the people in the church back to life and it always begins with the spirit of brokenness and humility. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a great revival text and says it best!

If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I know of no revival in Biblical times or church history that wasn’t birthed out of the soil of brokenness. Where people in the church see the reality of their empty heart and are in desperate need of healing from heaven. Our pride has dammed up the River of the Holy Spirit, our self made plans, programs, and religious pretense has pushed His glory cloud out of the tabernacles of our heart. But oh how willing He is to return when we shout out in humility our need for Him as I experienced that weekend.

In 1904 the great Welsh Revival broke out which spread all over the world. But what made the atmosphere fertile for revival was the prayer of a young man named Evan Roberts. It was recorded that he was often heard praying: BEND US, LORD. BEND THE CHURCH, AND SAVE THE WORLD!” May this be our humble prayer once again to bend and break our hearts with the spirit of humility so that we can be ready to Host the Holy Spirit.

Hijacked by the Holy Spirit

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I can’t recall the landscape of California ever so vibrant and full of life! It was truly breathtaking! The rain soaked hills glistened green with dashes of purple and orange from the wild flowers and left me with frequent expressions of “wow, this is amazing!” Once again the desert was full of life! What I was seeing in the natural was preparing me for what I was about to experience in the supernatural.

The trip to California included the Solvang Bike ride with some friends, dialogue on an up coming book on prayer, and speaking at a prison and attending a men’s retreat. My good friend Henry invited me to join him on the retreat Souly Business. A business associate of Henry’s had told him about the event and stated it was the best retreat he had ever experienced. Neither of us had ever heard of it, but decided to attend thinking the topics would be directed to businessmen, likely giving insights about living one’s faith in the real world, and perhaps we’d pick up some ideas for publishing the book.

Upon our arrival fellow believers warmly welcomed us and offered to carry our bags to the cabin. What was unusual about this retreat was that these men acted like they really wanted to be at this retreat, they had this joy about them. As we handed over our bags I noticed a group of men praying together with arms linked. As I scanned the surroundings and discerned the participants, as an introvert I wondered if this weekend’s events would be sweep me out of my comfort zone. I thought about returning to the car or taking a hike and getting lost. I mean, over the years I’ve attended many retreats and even led a fair share of them, but the way these men were acting and at the beginning of a retreat–well it was just not the norm.

As the 140 plus men introduced themselves eyes began to water and tears freely flowed, and this was before any speaker spoke! As the retreat continued “being swept out of my comfort zone” would be too mild of a statement, caught up in a tsunami would be a more adequate summary of the next few days as the small room we gathered in as strangers was changed to room filled with brothers in Christ.

It has taken me several weeks to process that amazing weekend. As I contemplated all that I had experienced in California I was drawn to several books on my bookshelf on revival as well as this text from 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This well-known verse on revival in many ways is so similar to what Henry and I experienced at the Souly Business retreat. One of the deep works the Holy Spirit did in my heart was to reawaken my prayer for a world wide revival that will soon splash over the nations with the Father’s glory “as the waters cover the Earth” (Hab. 2:14). I believe our Abba Father is getting His children ready to be filled a new with the Holy Spirit to shout His glory out to a thirsty world dying in the desert. Recently a group of men got drenched with the Holy Spirit and it enlivened my spirit with Hope for what’s ahead.

Fifty days after Resurrection Sunday comes Pentecost, may our Good Father prepare His church once again for the rain of His Holy Spirit to pour down! Please pray with me into the promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and expect the much needed rain to bring rivers of transformation.